Much has been made this season about LeBron James’ willingness to take a step back.

For much of the year, the Los Angeles Lakers benefited from James sliding down the offensive hierarchy and embracing life as a third option behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. That shift was dramatic for the league’s all-time leading scorer and drastically changed the way he approached games. 

Playing more off the ball created more room for him to do other things such as run the floor, and it showed in his transition scoring numbers where he is currently leading the league with 5.7 fast-break points per game. The reduced role has also helped preserve his energy over the course of the long season, something that has come in handy given the developments of two weeks ago for the Lakers.

The arrangement of having James serve as the third option worked beautifully for the Lakers until their April 2 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles had won 15 of its previous 17 games and looked well positioned to secure the third seed in the Western Conference. Then came a brutal turn. Dončić and Reaves both suffered injuries in that loss and are expected to miss several weeks, now forcing the Lakers to lean on James once again in a way that had seemed to be already phased out just days earlier.

Unsurprisingly, he has responded with the only way that he knows how to.

In his three appearances since that loss to Oklahoma City, James has turned back the clock and reminded everyone that he can still lead a team when he needs to. He is averaging 28.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 12.7 assists, and 2.3 steals over that stretch, controlling the offense and doing just about everything else Los Angeles could reasonably ask of him. At 41 years old and in his 23rd NBA season, this kind of production should be impossible, but James continues to defy the odds.

Despite the diminished role this season, James’ full-season numbers remain impressive. His 21.0 points per game may be his lowest scoring average since his rookie year in 2003-04, yet he is still shooting 51.7 percent from the field while adding 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Those numbers would be spectacular for about 95% of the league and the fact that this is a step down for James is a testament to his consistency through the years.

More importantly, the Lakers still have a chance to clinch the third seed in the West, though their destiny is not fully under their control. They must beat the Utah Jazz in their regular-season finale and hope the Denver Nuggets lose to the San Antonio Spurs. More important than their final seeding, however, is their ability to stay afloat long enough for Dončić and Reaves to return. If James can keep this up and buy them enough time, Los Angeles could still keep its championship hopes intact. Doncic is expected to return by the tailend of the first round while Reaves should be available by the second round–that is, if they can make it that far. 

This is what makes this stretch so compelling. 

It is not just that James is still producing at this level. It is the manner in which he continues to summon these vintage runs whenever his team seems to need them most. His career may not last much longer, which only makes moments like these feel more precious. 

For now, the Lakers are once again riding with LeBron James as their first option, and watching him answer that call at this stage of his career remains one of the most remarkable sights the game has to offer.