As the season winds down, it's time we updated the PER illustration chart from January that displayed LeBron James' statistical separation from the rest of the NBA.
LeBron hasn't maintained his historic start to the season, but the production gap between him and his contemporaries? Still there.
LeBron's statistical accomplishments are mind-boggling. He leads the Heat in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. In a condensed season that has wreaked havoc on the league's numbers, LeBron averages 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor.
The only player ever to match that stat line? A man named Michael Jordan. He did it once, in 1988-89.
In the advanced stats categories, LeBron ranks ninth in effective field goal percentage (.552), ninth in true shooting (.603), seventh in offensive rating (117.8) and 10th in defensive rating (98.1). We can also look at his player efficiency rating (PER), which bottles up all of his box score stats into one handy measure, and see that his 30.5 rating ranks head-and-shoulders above his peers. Chris Paul at 26.6 PER is his closest competitor, but the distance between James and Paul is equivalent to the distance between Paul and Greg Monroe (22.4)
But how can we best capture LeBron's statistical dominance this season?
See for yourself.
The chart below illustrates LeBron's PER compared to the rest of the league. (If you're wondering, the color is determined by age -- older the bolder.)
Note: Eddy Curry has posted a 0.0 PER this season while Jason Collins checks in at minus-0.5. Yes, a negative PER.