Cleveland Cavaliers: Is It Time For LeBron James To Take A Step Back?

After winning his first title for the Cleveland Cavaliers, could it be time for the aging LeBron James to take a step back and let his teammates take over the reins?

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally captured the first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors in seven games. LeBron James was again spectacular as he averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.

However, the end of last season marks the end of LeBron’s 13th season since entering the NBA Draft straight out of high school. This said, 13 seasons in the NBA just scratch the surface of his professional basketball experience.

He has also contributed to Team USA during the Olympics and the FIBA World Championships in the past and has played nearly 200 NBA postseason games, which makes for well over two full NBA seasons of basketball not in the NBA regular season (NBA regular season is 82 games).

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LeBron is currently 31 years old and will turn 32 in the middle of next season. His trademark style of play could be what ultimately is his downfall because, as we’ve seen before with every athlete ever, Father Time never loses. Every athlete will eventually start to decline at some point in his career.

LeBron’s style of play is very physical and requires an extreme level of athleticism that he has been able to display on a regular basis throughout his illustrious career so far. At some point in the future, a decline will be obvious and if he doesn’t tweak his game a bit, it could be the end of his NBA playing career.

Now, for all you LeBron-lovers out there, I am not saying that his decline is necessarily imminent, but it will come. Trust me.

For years, LeBron has been the proverbial workhorse in Cleveland first, then Miami, and now a second time in Cleveland, with a much different and more talented roster at his disposal than when he left back in 2010.

The time for LeBron’s peak basketball years are nearly behind us and by easing the load, he and the Cavaliers can try to delay it as long as possible

This leads me into my initial question. Is it time for LeBron James to take a step back during the regular season, at least, and let his teammates carry the load?

With a guy like Kyrie Irving on the roster, the simple answer is yes.

Irving has proved to be one of the top guards in the league and possess arguably the best handling ability of any player in the NBA. His skills, while still developing in his early twenties, are enough for a team to build around.

Irving can dominate on the offensive end of the court at will and could easily take some of the ball-handling and scoring loads off of LeBron James’ shoulders if he would let him.

Just check out this video displaying his handling ability from this past season:

Other than Kyrie, the Cavaliers also have a few other guys on the roster that could help ease the load on LeBron, including Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith. Love and Smith can score when given the chance and the combination of Thompson and Love down-low should be able to allow LeBron to play more on the perimeter than he has been in years past.

With so much talent on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster, LeBron taking a step back during the regular season shouldn’t cause much of a change in terms of the team’s success. Something else to consider is that come playoff time, LeBron will be even more ready to go than usual, which makes the Cavs a top contender in the East.

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The time for LeBron’s peak basketball years are nearly behind us and by easing the load, he and the Cleveland Cavaliers can try to delay it as long as possible.

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