3 former Heat players thriving, 3 who are struggling this season

LeBron James

To the surprise of no one, the NBA's all-time leading points scorer is looking freakishly strong on both ends of the court, even in Year 21.

LeBron's legendary four-year spell with the Heat came to an end just under a decade ago, in which he led the Heat to two championships, claimed two regular season MVP awards and led the Heat to 27 straight wins (second highest in league history) in the formidable Big 3 era.

The now-38-year-old lauded the infamous Heat Culture before last week's game with the Lakers at the Kaseya Center, reiterating that he joined the Heat to win championships.

The King is contuining to shatter precedents across the sport, and is shooting with exceptional efficiency for Los Angeles so far this season.

Sensationally, James sits third in the entire league for points in the restricted area behind only Zion Williamson and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and is shooting 56.8% from the field as of before Wednesday's clash with the Kings.

Aside from his scoring prowess, LeBron is on course for his best rebounding campaign since 2017-18.

The former Heat star continues to generate at an extraordinarily high level on offense; LeBron hasn't slowed down in terms of creating opportunities in the post, playmaking at an elite level and 3-point shooting.

His best game of the season came in the five-point victory over the Clippers, where he registered 35 points, went 13 from 19 from the field and made 50% of his 3s as the Lakers scored 130 points that night.

Despite a few shaky moments for coach Darvin Ham's team at the beginning of the season, the Lakers are still firmly expected to be one of the West's strongest contenders in the postseason, as James will look to right the wrongs of last season's sweep to the Nuggets by winning his fifth championship.