LeBron James missed three games in a row earlier this month. The Los Angeles Lakers went 3-0 in those games, including wins over the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the biggest reasons for those wins was Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves finding a groove at the same time, something they haven’t had much opportunity to do this season.
But it’s the Lakers, meaning grand conclusions had to come out of a three-game win streak. Many chose to start the conversation that the Lakers were a better team when LeBron doesn’t play. He responded to those comments after the Lakers’ eighth straight win and fifth since his return to the lineup.
“I was out a couple weeks ago and I was able to come back and see how I fit best with those guys because they were playing so dynamic off one another,” James said on Spectrum SportsNet. “But I mean, it sells papers a lot easier and clippings and podcasts if you say their team is better off without LeBron. That’s how a lot of people try to view it, so I get it. They’re absolutely wrong.”
The original commentary about the Lakers being better without James was rooted in the reality that he, Doncic and Reaves were not good enough defenders to be the three best players on a team. However, it was proven almost immediately wrong.
The Lakers won another five consecutive games after LeBron’s return to the lineup. Doncic has been dominant, Reaves has been steady and James has carved out a perfect role for himself as a highly efficient tertiary scoring option. L.A. looks undoubtedly like one of the five best teams in the NBA right now, if not even better.
It’s very possible that — after James is no longer a Laker — they will be able to build out a championship core around Doncic and Reaves. But this year’s team is better when LeBron is playing, because even at 41 years old, he is still one of the most consistent players in the league.
LeBron James tallies historic efficiency
Wednesday night’s win over the Houston Rockets was arguably the best proof that any talk about the Lakers being better without LeBron was ridiculous. He made history by becoming the oldest player ever — by nearly five years — to record 30 points in a game on 90% shooting from the field. He went 13-of-14 in the win, what was the seventh straight for L.A. at the time.
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