Coming into this season, it was believed that in his 19th NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would finally begin to take a bit of a step back.
But after some early-season injury issues, LeBron has come right back and been just as effective for the Lakers.
LeBron has been outstanding recently, even being named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for his performances over the past few games while leading the Lakers to a 3-1 record. When it comes to keeping up this level of play, James doesn’t feel like he needs to change anything.
“How do I continue how I’m playing? I’ve been doing it for 19 years,” LeBron said recently. “Just keep doing what I’ve been doing. I feel like I’m getting better and better each and every day. Healthier and healthier resulting in me being in the right place at the right time and as we continue to learn each other, I always told you guys we gotta continue to log minutes.”
James, along with many other Lakers, have continually preached the importance of needing more time together to build chemistry and James believes the team is finally beginning to find that.
“Continue to log minutes on the floor. We learn each other and we get better and better with one another and obviously, communication is the most important thing, but as you continue to learn each other and log minutes you’re able to do things out on the floor without even saying anything. You can close your eyes and know where your guys are going to be on the floor. We want to continue to log minutes and continue to do what we need to do and follow the game plan and we put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
It has been a rough beginning for the Lakers with injuries and other things keeping players in and out of the lineup and making it even harder for the team to develop that level of chemistry. With James playing at this level, and the Lakers continuing to build that chemistry, the team has a real chance to go on a run and turn the season around.
Vogel says James ‘finding joy through hustle’
James isn’t only putting up the numbers, but he is setting the tone for the Lakers with those little things that can often be the difference in winning and losing games. Head coach Frank Vogel has noticed LeBron’s joy in executing those things.
“He’s exemplifying, to find the right words, finding joy through hustle and how it’s really fun to pour it all out there on the floor and inspire your group,” Vogel said. “The effort that he’s playing with is inspiring our whole group. Our team is playing extremely hard and defending and running the floor and we’re making strides with playing extra-pass basketball, but we’re still not quite where we need to be yet. But LeBron is leading the charge in all those things and he was terrific again tonight.”
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!
