As it turns out, James still makes his team better.

Beyond all the numbers, though, is the fact that we are still seeing LeBron James’ vintage competitiveness and hoops acumen at this stage, and at this age -- 41 -- and it has made these past few weeks wonderful to watch. (Facebook via NBA Philippines)

By SAM AMICK / THE ATHLETIC

His silly smile said it all.

Here was LeBron James in Year No. 23 of his pro basketball career, having just tied Robert Parish for the NBA record in games played, and he looked like a toddler whose mother just let him have the entire container of ice cream for himself.

It was a rare and revealing moment of giddiness and glee from the malleable old man, with James, 41, taking a moment to revel in the fact that he can still help flip even the heaviest and haughtiest of narratives on their proverbial heads.

“It sells papers a lot easier — and clippings and podcasts — if you say, ‘LeBron, the team is better off without him,’” James told reporters after his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat last week. “A lot of people will try to, like, view it. So I get it.”

He took the briefest of pauses for effect, then jumped back in before a reporter’s follow-up question could steal the spotlight from his kicker.

“But they’re absolutely wrong.”

Cue the beaming smile.

As James surely agrees, it is indeed time for a reassessment of this fascinating team. The Lakers, left for dead as title contenders by many not long ago, have officially reentered that conversation by winning 12 of their last 14 games. In this season of such entertaining parity, with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder looking vulnerable at times after that scorching start and so many other elite teams capable of beating the best of the best on any given night, consider this the Lakers’ official invitation back to that prestigious club. And a mea culpa from yours truly.

A quick look at the before and after to set the stage here:

Through Feb. 27, when I excluded them from a list of eight title-contending teams and two honorable mentions, they were 34-24 (sixth in the Western Conference), 19th in net rating, 11th in offensive rating and 24th in defensive rating.

Since Feb. 28, they have been 12-2 (third in the West), with wins against the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets (twice), the Heat and the Orlando Magic. Entering their 113-110 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday, they were fourth in net rating, third in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating since Feb. 28.

The turnaround boils down to a handful of factors, but none has been bigger than Luka Doncic’s sheer brilliance. During this sensational stretch, Doncic, 27, has made a late push to challenge Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic for most valuable player honors: 35.7 points per game over his last 14 (including 38.5% on 12.8 3s per game), 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.3 steals.

The big man DeAndre Ayton went from complaining about his role to being totally bought in in a matter of weeks. Doncic, Austin Reaves and James — all perimeter players who have been accused of being turnstiles on defense — are putting forth the proper effort on that end. The Lakers’ staff, headed by their second-year coach, JJ Redick, deserves a lot of credit for this turn of events, as well.

But the James story line is the most interesting one. All of a sudden, with James putting on a selfless and spectacular show as the game’s best third option, it is fair to wonder if the notion of him remaining a Laker beyond this season might be a viable option again. If, of course, he doesn’t retire when his contract expires this summer.

As recently as January, not long after an ESPN report detailed dysfunction in James’ relationship with the Lakers organization, the consensus in the league was that there was no way he would be back in a Lakers jersey. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors were, and are, often mentioned by league executives as his most likely destinations. But it was the lack of synergy and consistent success with James on the court, above all else, that drove this idea of an unavoidable exit. Not to mention the Father Time component, with sciatica issues costing him the first month of the regular season (when the Lakers started 10-4 without him) and questions rising about whether he could still be an impact player.

All of a sudden, with LeBron James putting on a selfless and spectacular show as the game’s best third option, it is fair to wonder if the notion of him remaining a Laker beyond this season might be a viable option again. (Instagram via lbjhistory)

More specifically, there was a mountain of evidence that James did not fit in with Doncic and Reaves early on.

In lineups that included Doncic, Reaves and James through Feb. 27, the Lakers were 8-6 with a 109.6 offensive rating and a 114.5 defensive rating) in 238 combined minutes.

This was a major problem, of course, because Doncic is the face of the franchise, and Reaves, 27, is the Lakers’ top priority in free agency this summer. Reaves, who is earning $13.9 million this season, has a player option for $14.8 million next season that he is expected to decline. He is in line for a big payday.

As if it was not problematic enough that James ($52.6 million this season) was struggling on his own, the prospect of him hindering the team’s new dynamic duo was the kind of thing that would surely lead to his Laker Land end. When James references all that chatter about how the “team is better off without him,” as he put it, this is what he is referring to. And as he is so keenly aware, everything that has happened since sends a different message about what might come next.

James has taken a back seat in the best kind of way during this stretch, with his shot volume taking a serious dip (16.3 shots per game through Feb. 27 and 12.6 since) while his efficiency has spiked (49.8% overall to 58.3, with his 3-point attempts dipping from 4.6 per game to 2.8).

His usage rate — as good a sign as any of his willingness to sacrifice and find a way to fit in — has gone from 27.3 through Feb. 27 to 21.6 since then. For recent reference, James’ usage rate was 29.1 last season, 28.5 in the 2023-24 campaign and 32.2 in 2022-23.

Beyond all the numbers, though, is the fact that we are still seeing James’ vintage competitiveness and hoops acumen at this stage, and at this age, and it has made these past few weeks wonderful to watch. If it wasn’t clear quite yet, he is not ready to be put out to pasture. Anyone who saw him dive headlong for a loose ball against Denver in that March 14 overtime win could see that much.

He is figuring out this Lakers group and reminding us all yet again why it has never been wise to cast much doubt in his direction. His smile told that story all by itself.