LeBron James has had to evolve his role in the middle of the 2024-25 season because his franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers, moved on from center Anthony Davis to offensive talisman Luka Doncic. Davis anchored the Lakers’ defense as the presence in the paint, giving LeBron the responsibility of carrying the team offensively.
However, with Davis gone and Doncic in, it makes no sense for LeBron to minimize Luka’s skillset by not letting him be the No. 1 option on offense. This means James has more energy to expend on the defensive end, accepting the responsibility of being the team’s defensive anchor while speaking to reporters after the Lakers’ 126-99 win over the OKC Thunder.
“I’m able to see a lot of plays before they happen because of my knowledge of the game… I understand that’s my responsibility to anchor the defense, and I’m happy to do that.”
James also acknowledged the Lakers’ struggles against bad teams this season and how the Lakers were motivated to pick this win up.
“We’ve been pretty good against some of the better teams this year and haven’t been good against the teams under .500. It’s a great team to test out where you are, but ultimately, it’s about our habits…, They know who they are and who they’re going to be in the postseason, we’re still figuring it out.”
“They’re the No. 1 team in the West. You can’t have a letup no matter what the score is.”
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LeBron ended the game with 19 points (9-16 FG) and seven assists. His defensive counting stats won’t seem that impressive tonight, but he was arguably the most active defender on the Lakers not named Dorian Finney-Smith. James was staying active on the perimeter, particularly doing a great job in limiting Jalen Williams to 16 points (4-14 FG).
It’s easy to forget that James has a build that rivals many centers in the NBA, weighing more than OKC’s center Chet Holmgren. This allows him to be one of the few players who can guard players of all five positions, although it might be silly to let LeBron deal with a small and shifty guard all by himself on the perimeter.
We’ve seen James take on defensive challenges like stopping Stephen Curry, but at no point in the last seven years has James been taken seriously as a POA or team defender. He’s changed that since the Doncic acquisition, with his defensive output soaring as he transfers scoring responsibilities to Luka and Austin Reaves.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer isn’t focused on backing up points anymore. He’s happy to make himself the most impactful by being the frontcourt player who carries the Lakers defense through a Playoff run without worrying about spending too much energy on that front, as he can trust Doncic or Reaves to be the offensive sparks.
