With just two days to go before tip-off against the Houston Rockets (52-30), LeBron James provided some key wisdom on how his Lakers (53-29) might win the battle on the glass.
The Rockets have been famously dominant in that category this season, but LeBron believes that his team can contain them if everyone just buys in. His message, captured by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, was simple: everyone do your job.
“They’re the best rebounding team in the last 25 years,” said James. “You don’t need to have a message. It’s just like a [Patrick] Mahomes team, and they’re the best passing team in the past 30 years. The message is gonna be, ‘Hey, we don’t need to let the receivers get off the lines.’ We don’t have a message. The message is, get your a__ in there, box out, and rebound. Don’t need to have a message. We’re all grown men. Do your job.”
In the NFL, Patrick Mahomes’s greatness at quarterback ensures the Chiefs always pick up passing yards on the field, and the best that teams can hope for is to slow them down by limiting their own mistakes. LeBron is taking that same approach against the Rockets, since he knows that there’s little they can do to actually shut them down.
This season, Houston led the league in both total rebounds at 48.1 per game and offensive rebounds at 15.0 per game. Alperen Sengun was the leading rebounder of them all, with 8.9 boards per game (along with 20.4 points, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks on 51.9% shooting and 30.5% shooting from three). Steven Adams was next with 8.6 rebounds per game (with 5.8 points, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks on 50.4% shooting), followed by Amen Thompson at 7.8 rebounds per game (with 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 53.4% shooting qnd 21.6% shooting from three).
The Rockets have tailored their game strategy to maximize a stacked frontcourt, and the Lakers have little hope of overpowering them. Still, they can neutralize the Rockets’ advantage if everyone plays smart and stays focused on the boards. For James, the important thing is that the Lakers hold each other accountable and apply pressure on everyone to step up and play their role.
Specifically, LeBron will be looking at Deandre Ayton to rise to the occasion. The 27-year-old big man hasn’t always been happy with his role this season, but he has a chance to prove he deserves more in this upcoming series. After averaging 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game on 67.1% shooting, his impact is going to be more important than ever, sans Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are out indefinitely due to injuries.
Without that much scoring, the Lakers cannot let themselves get punked, and so they must compensate in other areas, particularly on defense and rebounding. Going against a Rockets team that’s positioned to exploit those weaknesses is not favorable for Los Angeles, but we’ve seen them pull off some miracles before, and LeBron does not look shaken.
In the end, despite the overwhelming odds, there is still a path to victory for the Lakers, and LeBron will not give up so long as his team is still alive. While JJ Redick no doubt has an extensive game plan for the series, the most important thing for LA is that each man is committed to the small things on the court, such as boxing out, being vocal, and maintaining constant coverage on their opposition. With the margin for error so slim, even one mistake can jeopardize the entire operation.
