Paul Pierce thinks he’s identified one of the major problems for the Los Angeles Lakers, which is LeBron James not playing off the ball as often as he should.
“The truth of the matter when I watch the Lakers this year. LeBron has been great numbers-wise, but he got to take a step back, He gotta give the ball up a little more. Since the All-Star break, look at his numbers. 29, nine and seven, 50 percent from the field, 45 from three. It’s not resultin’ in wins… When LeBron sat out, who’d they beat? Milwaukee, a contender. D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) had 40. They went to Boston and got a win without LeBron.”
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1769741948750041118
LeBron James has the second-lowest usage rate of his career this season at 29.3. If there’s ever a season where James has encapsulated contributing off-ball, it’s this season. This shift was evident late last season as well, as James was impactful enough off the ball to help lead the Lakers to the Conference Finals.
He’s averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists this season, a marked decrease in production compared to previous seasons. He’s prioritized ensuring the Lakers empower D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to be more productive players with the ball which also allows James to manage his fatigue on the court as a game plays on to be most effective in the fourth quarter.
James is averaging 8.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in the fourth quarter this season, leading some incredible performances like their 22-point comeback win over the Clippers where James outscored the entire team in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers Need To Start Relying Elsewhere
James has shown a willingness to take a step back, but he’s still a star in the NBA. He isn’t the all-conquering force he was five years ago but he’s still arguably a top-15 player in the NBA. Even with all that being taken into account, the most important thing to know is James is in Year 21 of his career. He’s broken all concept of longevity in basketball but the decline is visible and will get more profound in coming seasons.
The Lakers need to start putting more eggs in the basket of other players if they want a chance at sustained success. But with James contract expiring this summer, the Lakers will want to keep him around for a variety of reasons. But will they keep him around for $50+ million? That remains to be seen.
If James commands over $50 million, it’s clear the Lakers will have to continue relying on him for big production to compete for a title. Bill Simmons believes the Lakers’ cannot compete for a title like that, and he may have a good point.
James is playing plenty off-ball basketball this season, but that responsibility may need to increase to safeguard his health in the coming seasons. If they want LeBron the superstar while watching him fall off that tier in real-time, it can lead to some very interesting questions for the roster in the future.
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