Bold Predictions for LeBron James' 2014-15 Season

Despite not winning MVP last season and falling in the NBA Finals, LeBron James is still the best basketball player in the world. Now on the Cleveland Cavaliers and surrounded by a rejuvenated, albeit inexperienced, cast of All-Star talent, James has his work cut out to win a third ring. 

He turns 30 in December, but James is still capable of pulling off historic numbers and accomplishing feats no other player can sniff. Here are four bold predictions, ranked by the likelihood they actually happen, regarding what James can accomplish in the 2014-15 season.

They will likely surprise you, and some may seem impossible. But if anyone can pull them off, it’s LeBron. 

4. Finish with 60-40-80 Shooting Line

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The 50-40-90 season is exceedingly impressive and truly rare. For a player to make half his shots from the field, four out of every 10 three-pointers and be basically perfect from the free-throw line for an entire year is deserving of historical recognition. 

But here’s a new club that’s equally, if not more so, impressive than 50-40-90: 60-40-80. LeBron has never finished with a field-goal percentage above 60 percent, but he made 62.2 percent of his two-pointers last season. The year before he sunk 40.6 percent of his threes while attempting a respectable 3.3 per game. He’s also never made more than 78 percent of his free throws.  

No player in NBA history has attempted at least 10 three-pointers and finished a season with this stat line. Whoever did so would be in the conversation for putting forth one of the most efficient campaigns in basketball history. Don’t be surprised if LeBron smashes through a wall nobody even knew existed. 

3. Lead the League in Assists

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LeBron’s individual offensive attack is unstoppable, but the most impressive skill in his arsenal is the ability to pass. 

No player in basketball history has ever combined his size with the ability to read complex defenses like he does. He simultaneously anticipates and influences rotations before threading back-breaking bounce passes through half a dozen limbs. 

James’ personal best came in 2009-10, when he averaged 8.6 assists per game. It was the final season of his first tenure with Cleveland, when he was supported by the likes of Mo Williams, Delonte West and Antawn Jamison. 

Last season, Chris Paul led the NBA with 10.7 assists per game, a hypothetical benchmark LeBron can surely surpass this year with the likes of Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters in the fold. The scoring burden may not be as large as before, and if defenses load up to stop him from attacking the rim, LeBron should be in perfect position to make everyone around him that much better.

2. Win Defensive Player of the Year

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It’s the one major award LeBron James has yet to win, and as he reaches the other side of 30, this could be his final chance. The Cavaliers have no rim protectors in their front court, and apart from James, no lockdown defenders on the perimeter. 

And so, LeBron will be called upon to do more on defense than ever before. And with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on board as two clear-cut talents who are able to take games over on offense, it could allow James to focus more on stopping the other team than he’s ever been able to.

No one defender in the league can single-handedly shut down more forms of attack than James. He can stop point guards and power forwards.

The only worry here is that all this defense could sap his energy. But once again, with Irving and Love doing all the heavy lifting on offense, James may finally be able to consistently show just how dominant he can be without ever touching the ball. 

1. Average Fewer Than 35 Minutes Per Game

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

For the first five seasons of his career, LeBron James averaged 41.1 minutes per game. He was the ultimate workhorse, a high-usage machine who basically did everything (and more) to put his team in a winning position on a nightly basis.

From 2009 through last season, though, LeBron's minutes declined. The 10-time All-Star averaged 38.1 minutes per game during that span. Last season, he was down to 37.7, the second lowest of his career, and still the workload seemed too much for his aging body to handle.

James literally broke down in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and his 38.2 minutes-per-game average through that entire playoff run was 4.3 minutes lower than his career average. If the Cavaliers want James to be as dominant as possible in games that matter most, they will cut his minutes during the regular season. 

All that is much easier said than done, though, especially with a rookie head coach trying to lock up home-court advantage for the playoffs. But the wisest play here is for LeBron to rest more than he ever has before. 

All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com unless otherwise noted. 

Michael Pina covers the NBA for Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, Fox Sports, ESPN, Grantland and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.