The top 5 old heads still dominating the NBA today

The top 5 old heads still dominating the NBA today: 2. Chris Paul

Chirs Paul is putting even John Stockton to shame. Despite turning 37 later this year, Paul leads the league in assists with 10.1 per game. That’s mind-boggling!

Although he isn’t shooting particularly well from deep, Paul’s still a killer in the mid-range, and he can get to that right-fading jumper completely at will. It’s one of the greatest crunch-time weapons the NBA has ever seen, and it is the biggest reason why Paul is shooting a silly 53.8 percent in the clutch.

Remember, this is a guy whose contract was derided as “the worst in sports history” just a few years ago. He’s since made two All-NBA teams and came in fifth in MVP voting.

Want further evidence of Paul’s brilliance? He pretty much single-handedly rewrote the CBA to ensure that stars in their mid-30s (like CP3) would be able to take home tens of millions more in contracts.

This season, Paul became the first player in NBA history to crack 20K points, 10K assists, and 5K rebounds (although our #1 best old head is likely to join him shortly), and he’s showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The top 5 old heads still dominating the NBA today: 1. LeBron James

There is such a level of intensity included in any LeBron conversation that it’s hard to appreciate what he’s doing in a vacuum. The fourth-oldest player (fifth, if you count Joe Johnson) in the entire league has revved up his production since Anthony Davis’ injury nine games ago to unprecedented levels.

Since then, James is averaging 34.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 3.1 combined steals and blocks per game on ridiculous 55/40/79 percent shooting splits. He’s forced his way back into an MVP conversation dominated by Steph and Durant early on and is near the top of every advanced stat.

LeBron’s hitting a solid 37 percent from deep on a by far career-high eight attempts per game. And, despite what people may say, is hitting an outrageous 76 percentof his shots near the rim, tied for the second-best mark of his career.

His passing has been sublime; in many cases, he even catches teammates off-guard:

Anecdotally, it feels like LeBron is playing at a higher intensity level (especially defensively) than he has in several years. LA’s struggles have meant that James has to be locked in every game, and he’s responding in a sustained way that few imagined he could.

James is redefining what aging gracefully can look like for an NBA player. If this list is redone in two years (when luminaries like Curry and Durant will be 35 and therefore qualify), no one would be surprised to find James still at the top.