Year 23 has been a different one from LeBron James because for the first time in his career, he isn’t the best player on his own team.
The Los Angeles Lakers have pivoted to Luka Doncic as the franchise’s current and future face, while Austin Reaves has ascended into a legitimate superstar on the offensive end. With Doncic and Reaves, James has been able to play more as a finisher than a play maker and he’s embraced his role as of late.
Head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the basketball will still be in James’ hands, but said the best thing for him and the Lakers is for him to be the third option, via Benjamin Royer of the Southern California News Group:
“He’s still going to be, and still has been, a high-usage player relative to your average player,” Redick said of James. “The best thing for our team is being the third-highest-used player, you know, and obviously there’s been stretches of the year where he’s had to do more with injuries or guys being out of lineup.
“And I think finding a rhythm and a groove within, you know, the rotations and lineups when those three guys play, and I think that’s been the challenge for all of them, not just LeBron, all season.”
For years, Los Angeles has striven to find capable ball handlers next to James to lighten his load and Doncic and Reaves are perfect for leading roles. Doncic is the solar system of Redick’s offensive scheme while Reaves is the perfect sidekick on the other side.
At this stage of James’ career, it shouldn’t come across as disrespectful for him to take a lesser on-ball role especially as he’s already had to manage a few injuries this season. If anything, this allows the Lakers to keep him as fresh as possible as they look to make a playoff push.
LeBron already looks comfortable doing less on the floor, and he’s even answered the call to do more of the little things. For example, Redick praised James’ willingness to dive for a loose ball in the win against the Denver Nuggets. So long as the 41-year-old continues to excel in his new role, the more successful Los Angeles should be.
Rich Paul dismisses narrative surrounding LeBron James and Lakers
For a stretch, it seemed like the Lakers were a better basketball team with LeBron James off the floor but he has proven since then that that’s false. His agent Rich Paul also criticized the narrative, saying that no team would be better without James.
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