ranking a king

Where does the King rank in SFs of all time?

Age: 33

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 55.8 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 30.2 PER, 310.82 TPA, 4.98 RPM

Now, about the belief that someone, anyone, will reasonably challenge LeBron James for the best-player-alive crown sometime, anytime, in the near future...it ain't happening.

James, in his age-33 season, is exploring previously unplumbed levels of dominance. His true shooting percentage—which measures two-point, three-point and free-throw accuracy—is hovering near his career high. He has never averaged more assists. He's tracking down steals and swatting shots with fountain-of-youth frequency. And he's a staple at the top of every pertinent kitchen-sink metric:

• PER rank: 3

• TPA rank: 1

• RPM rank: 5

• Value Over Replacement rank: 1

• Win Shares rank: 2

Isaiah Thomas will eat into James' share of the Cleveland Cavaliers offense as he returns to normal. And the King himself will always battle cruise-control warts through mid-April. The Cavs, even as they manage to tread water when he sits, will play down to the level of inferior opponents, harshing his MVP vibes in the process.

Still, the idea that anyone should curry favor over James has long been, and will continue to be, unequivocally laughable.