In the 124-120 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James nearly had another triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
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However, the box score does not tell the whole story as James struggled in the first half and had an unforced turnover late in the game. As the best player in the league right now, there are also extremely high expectations that come with playing for one of the best sports franchises.
As for his struggles on offense, James firmly believes he can contribute in more ways than just scoring and when he might be struggling offensively, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I don’t care about that. I’m still able to get rebounds, get my teammates involved, still defend. I can still make an impact if I’m making shots or not. I’m not a one-dimensional player. If I’m not scoring, I can still do other things to affect the game. We had a lead going into halftime and I didn’t play well at all.”
Through seven games of the 2018-19 NBA season, the Lakers have struggled to start and end games. While James has attempted to get his teammates involved early, they likely need him to be aggressive with his scoring in order to facilitate as the game progresses.
Still, with eight new players, patience is required during this early stretch of the season. Along with more consistent rotations from head coach Luke Walton, the Lakers need to improve their defense especially without fouling.