A win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday made the Lakers undefeated in the in-season tournament so far, going a perfect 5-0 against a variety of opponents. Once again, it was LeBron James who led the way this week, and after dropping 31 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in the game, Lakers coach Darvin Ham couldn’t help but gush about his play.
“I mean, no disrespect to anybody else, he’s the best quarterback in the NBA,” coach Ham said of James, via The Athletic. “And that’s bar-none. He understands those moments and what we’re trying to get out of certain possessions, when we need to be aggressive going downhill, when we need to be more methodical. So, that’s just him being who he has been his whole career, his entire career. So, there’s nothing shocking about that.”
In a league flourishing with playmakers and floor generals, LeBron James may still be the greatest captain of them all. He commands everything for the Lakers and even at 38 years old, LeBron remains the biggest difference-maker on the roster so far. For all the scoring that he does, James is arguably most valuable for his unwavering leadership, which is keeping the Lakers afloat despite numerous problems this season.
LeBron Is One Step Ahead
Unlike most NBA superstars in the modern era, LeBron doesn’t classify himself as a score-first player. Instead, he likes to get others involved in the offense and that is exactly what he looks to do on the court every time he has the ball. As none of the best in the world, LeBron is uniquely gifted at finding the balance between scoring and attaching, and this season may be one of his finest displays yet.
For the season, no. 23 is averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game on 54.6% shooting. With an average of just 33.9 minutes per game so far, LeBron is putting up these numbers in his lowest time since the 2020-21 season, when he played just 45 games for the Lakers. Needless to say, LeBron has aged like a fine wine after 20 seasons and it’s telling how much the Lakers still rely on his greatness to win games every single night. And while James has been happy to step up, for now, one has to wonder if asking LeBron to play hero ball this early could lead to regret.
Lakers Are Risking It All
At 13-9 on the season, the Lakers cannot afford to coast through the winter if they want to secure home-court advantage. LeBron, who watched his team dig themselves into a ridiculous hole last year, is doing everything he can to keep the Lakers above the play-in line this year. Unfortunately, it’s costing him a lot of energy on the court, and his minutes aren’t anywhere near what the Lakers hoped it’d be.
In Tuesday’s game against the Suns, LeBron racked up a season-high 40 minutes to squeeze by with a 3-point win. But this is not the formula for a successful season, and the Lakers are still looking for a solution. For now, with Anthony Davis growing his reputation for inconsistency, the team has nowhere else to turn but the King… so it’s a good thing that he’s up for the task as their best and most reliable player this season.
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