Another season of NBA Ragnarok, is James counting down to retirement?

With the continuous advancement of modern sports medicine, the professional life span of more and more players has been extended. In this case, the plot of Ragnarok can even be performed for several seasons. At this time last year, James Curry and Durant started another season with the glory of the Paris Olympics. People are looking forward to the three veterans continuing to express their glory in the final years of their careers. Today, the same rhetoric can be copied.

The three old guys are indeed strong enough. Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 points and 8.2 assists per game. In the 22nd season of his career, he set numerous "oldest" records and was selected to the All-NBA second team, further breaking people's perception of age. In James, you can see the impact of time on him, but you can also see that he is the one least affected by time. As long as his physical fitness is online, James is still one of the most influential players in the league. Curry was also selected to the second team of the All-NBA Team last season. At the age of 37, he is still the most accurate shooting player in the league. As long as Curry is on the court, the Warriors' offense will be difficult to limit. In the playoffs, Curry led the team to complete the Black Seven feat. If they had not suffered injuries in the semifinals, they had a good chance of eliminating the Timberwolves and entering the Western Conference Finals, and even touching the championship gold cup. Durant's performance last season was relatively the worst among the three. However, the four-time scoring champion still averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, and his overall shooting percentage was over 50%, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 43%. If it were not for the slight flaw in free throws, the 37-year-old Durant would still be selected for the 180 Club. As for the Suns, it was obvious that Durant's personal factors accounted for a relatively low proportion, and the team's poor lineup structure was the main reason.

Having said that, the situation in the new season is still significantly different from last year. The three historical superstars are facing their own situations. It has to be admitted that they are getting closer and closer to the real twilight, especially LeBron James.

Before the start of the season, James suddenly released the trailer for "Decision 2". For a while, people speculated that the 40-year-old James was about to announce his retirement. Although in the end James only reached a commercial cooperation with Hennessy, to a certain extent, James' behavior this time was a test of his reaction to the outside world. The moment when James actually announces his retirement will not be too far away. In the new season, James will usher in his 23rd season and become the first player in NBA history to reach his 23rd season. During the offseason, James chose to exercise his player option to stay with the Lakers, which means that James will officially become a free agent next summer. At that time, he will have many choices. He can either renew his contract with the Lakers and stay with the team, join another team and wait for his second son, Bryce James, to enter the league, or directly choose to retire. In either case, it is bound to make a huge noise. In addition, before the start of this season, James suffered a sciatic nerve injury, which directly caused him to miss the opening game for the first time in his career, which undoubtedly increased the possibility of his retirement. In the past few seasons, James' attendance rate has dropped significantly compared with the early stages of his career. James once said that he will not retire until he is completely unable to play. In other words, once his condition after returning from injury does not meet his personal expectations, James will press the end button of his career.

Curry is still fighting for the fifth championship in his career. Last year, he was in the best shape among the Big Three and the one who made it farthest in the playoffs. Judging from the current tactical status in the team, Curry is also the highest. Curry is still the absolute core of the Warriors' tactics. Without Curry, the Warriors are completely different. Curry's terrifying off-ball influence benefits every teammate around him. In Cole's system, Curry can maximize his role. In contrast, James will officially retreat to the second line in the new season. The Lakers already have super talents like Luka Doncic. James will no longer be the team's first choice for offense. It is no exaggeration to say that with Reeves' strong performance, James may only be the team's third choice after returning from injury. This will be a situation that James has never experienced in his entire career.

After experiencing the failure of the Suns, Durant changed careers again this summer. Joining the Rockets rekindled his hope of competing for the championship. Before the start of the season, Durant completed a contract extension with the Rockets. He knew that this was probably his last chance to win a championship. Like James, Durant is not the team's first choice in the new season. The Rockets' tactical system is built around Shen Jing. Durant plays more of a role in ending the offense. However, the Rockets failed in the playoffs last season precisely because they lacked a terminator. From this perspective, Durant's importance to the Rockets is self-evident. After leaving the Warriors, Durant has always proven that he has the ability to win another championship, but things always fail to develop in the direction he expected. Just when the Rockets were generally optimistic, VanVleet's injury cast a heavy shadow on Durant's another championship journey. It seems that at the end of his career, Durant is still the most tragic among the Big Three.

In addition to the Big Three, there are many veterans in the league who are fighting the final battle of their careers. Harden completed incredible "reverse growth" last season. He helped the Clippers reach the playoffs even though they were not favored. He used his outstanding performance in the regular season to prove that he is still one of the best offensive commanders in the league. In the new season, Harden will compete for the championship with many veterans who have been fighting for many years: 40-year-old Paul is already one of the oldest players in the league. He left the Spurs and returned to the Clippers. Paul is no longer obsessed with competing for the championship but still desires to win. The 34-year-old Leonard is already an out-and-out veteran. He performed well in the playoffs last season, but the final result still failed to satisfy the fans. Now, a healthy Leonard seems unable to guarantee the team's performance, which undoubtedly intensifies the feeling of loneliness..

As fans, we should feel lucky, because Russell Westbrook’s career is still going on. After missing training camp for the first time in his career, Wei Shao signed with the Kings before the start of the season and ushered in the 18th season of his career. Compared with other giants, Wei Shao’s career is obviously His career is most likely to come to an abrupt end. What he signed with the Kings is only a non-guaranteed contract, but even so, Wei Shao will be full of energy every time he appears. Maybe Wei Shao can no longer win the championship, but his fighting spirit is still a classic symbol of the NBA, and it is also the basis for veterans to continue to play important roles.

Normally, people don't like lengthy soap operas, but I believe that for the vast majority of fans, "Twilight of the Gods" will never get tired of watching it. Although the era of Jokic, Alexander or Benyama has arrived, James, Curry, and Durant are still using their persistence to prove that they are still the face of this league, and every wonderful moment of theirs can still move people's hearts.