LeBron James didn’t dance around the question after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 108-125 loss to the Phoenix Suns. When asked whether he ever feels the urge to take the ball out of Luka Doncic’s hands when the offense stalls, he gave a calm and honest answer that reflected both his role and the Lakers’ identity.
“Yeah, you go with what’s been working. And obviously, you know, we have opportunity to change pitchers and switch pitchers.”
“But we go with what’s working. Obviously, you know, we didn’t play our brand of basketball the way we wanted to play. So it’s just one game. We don’t get too crazy.”
It was a direct response, and it matched the reality of how the Lakers play. Luka Doncic has the highest usage rate on the team at 36.7%, Austin Reaves sits at 27.1%, and LeBron is at 21.7%. By shot attempts, the gap is even clearer. Luka averages 22.9 attempts per game, Reaves takes 16.6, and LeBron is at 12.6. That makes him the third option in terms of volume and the fourth-leading scorer behind Deandre Ayton.
The Suns game highlighted that imbalance even more. Luka took 26 shots and finished with 38 points. Reaves had 12 shots for 16 points. LeBron had 10 shots for 10 points. The math wasn’t complicated. Luka was carrying the load while the other two primary creators played in smaller roles. When that happens, the Lakers lose the ball movement that makes them dangerous.
The numbers paint the same picture LeBron described. This is Luka’s team on the ball, and that isn’t in question. The Lakers built the entire offense around his creation. Reaves is the secondary engine. LeBron, especially after missing significant time early in the season, has been easing back in. But the Phoenix loss raised a fair point: at some stage, LeBron will need to scale up his scoring again. The Lakers cannot rely on a 15 points per game version of him when the playoffs arrive. Even if he doesn’t need to be Miami or Cleveland LeBron, he does need to get back into the 24–25 point range.
And for that to happen, some of those shots would need to come from Luka.
That reality isn’t controversial; it’s just the natural progression of integrating a superstar returning from injury. Rui Hachimura, who finished with just one shot against the Suns, echoed the same sentiment by saying the team didn’t move the ball well. It looked like a night where the Lakers leaned too heavily on Luka isolations, and the rhythm of the team collapsed around it.
Luka acknowledged the same thing. He took responsibility for his nine turnovers and admitted the Suns blitzed him and forced him into rushed reads. When Luka gets stuck, the Lakers need a release valve. LeBron is the best release valve in NBA history, yet he wasn’t used that way on Monday.
The dynamic isn’t a power struggle. It’s timing, rhythm, and health. LeBron knows Luka is the focal point. The Lakers know the ball has to touch LeBron more as the season goes on. And games like the Phoenix blowout show why. Balanced teams don’t implode under defensive pressure. They move the ball, trust every option, and keep rhythm even when a star is overloaded.
Right now, the Lakers are still figuring out how to blend Luka’s brilliance with LeBron’s experience. LeBron didn’t demand more touches, but everything about his answer suggested the same thing fans are already thinking. There will come a time when the Lakers need him to take command again. And that time is getting closer.
