NBA - Main

Yes, they absolutely are. This doesn't make him worse at all since what he's doing is still unprecedented and he's already proved enough to make him the second greatest player ever but the stats he's been accumulating recently aren't the reason for that.

Lebron in the 4 year span from the age of 35-38 was putting up better stats than he was in Miami at his absolute peak. I doubt any sane person believes that that version of Lakers Lebron was anywhere close to Miami Lebron who was the most complete player the league had ever seen. It's just that the game developed, completely out of luck on his part, in the exact way that completely suits the playstyle he has always been best at. Lebron, at his core, is a drive and kick player who performs best surrounded by shooters. The league moved in this direction due to the 3-point revolution started by Curry and Lebron's numbers have held up longer than previously thought possible due to that fact. This version of Lebron wouldn't be averaging nearly as much as he is if you put him in the 2000's or early 2010's (but he'd still be the best player at his age ever). Lebron's size is also a major factor. The late 2010's were filled with smaller players and there weren't really many true big men playing. This further helped Lebron play on the inside more and more. He was never particularly effective against true C's and PF's even when he was at his peak.

This applies to everyone though. Stats and efficiency today are really elevated due to the crazy spacing that the league currently has. Put the great scorers of the 2000's in this era and the added pace and better spacing would see them averaging insane numbers just like Lebron has been able to despite his age. Kobe, T-Mac, Iverson, and Wade would be even more impossible to guard if you couldn't effectively hedge towards them for fear of the kick-out pass to a shooter.