Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the oldest player in the NBA but he continues to defy Father Time as he remains one of the league’s best players.
James has always been at his best with the basketball in his hands, but he’s been willing to cede control to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. However, with Reaves out James has stepped back into a primary role and is committed to doing whatever the team needs in his absence.
Head coach JJ Redick is fortunate to have James back healthy and looking more like himself on the floor after a slow start to the year.
As someone who is also 41 years old, Redick couldn’t help but marvel at what James is doing at their age with the former celebrating his birthday on Tuesday.
“I’ve been calling him 41 now since I turned 41 in June, so tomorrow’s the day but he’s 41 to me already. It is remarkable,” Redick said after Monday’s practice. “I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and I got to get an injection on my knee and my body is old and broken. It’s like that if you don’t use it you lose it and once I stopped using it I lost it all. I can still barely tough the rim, though, which is nice.”
As for how James has managed to stay so productive, Redick highlighted his willingness to adapt his game to fit what the coaching staff wants to do.
“I think for me he’s just really embraced the early part of my coaching career where we were trying to feature AD and he…it doesn’t happen overnight but he embraced playing a little bit differently, a little less pick and roll heavy, a little less iso heavy,” Redick said.
“And we have daily conversations. Hey, is this working, is this not working, is this good for you, is this bad for you? We have it in game. We had it last night, multiple times, in game. Just having these check points cause we can play him at the elbow, we can play him in the post. I think lately he’s done a great job of being a screener and getting roller behind. And then just embracing all the off ball stuff, it’s something we talk about. That off ball action for him is to get him an advantage. He’s so strong and he’s so skilled that when he has that advantage, whether it’s a shoulder advantage, foot advantage, he can really make plays out of that.”
Redick is committed to putting James in the best spots possible and in turn the Lakers need their star to deliver. So far, James looks ready for the challenge though the rest of the roster needs to pull its weight too.
Kevin Durant grateful for matchups with LeBron James
James and Kevin Durant are two of the last remaining stars of their generation, making their matchups this late into their careers so special. The two shared the floor together on Christmas Day and Durant noted how grateful he is to still get to play against James.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
