LeBron Jameswho makes his season debut Tuesday night against the Jazz, spent the better part of two decades playing in the Atlas for teams that would have collapsed without his support. He also spent a good portion of that time making it clear that he was ready for that to change. Damn, that's what prompted him to quit Cleveland Cavaliers For Miami Heat first of all. Back in 2017 he spoke about the transfer to the Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. That was eight NBA picks ago. Lakers made it a point to keep him in possession from the moment he arrived in Los Angeles, and when that wasn't enough, he insisted on a disastrous Russell Westbrook trade. The movements continued to fail. James continued to play Superman.
Honestly, that's all he ever did in NBAexcept perhaps for brief moments of overlap with a healthy, peak Dwyane Wade in Miami and a better Irving in Cleveland. James talked about sharing the workload in the big game, but when the games actually start, 20 years of habits kick in and he tends to be in control. And hey, it's LeBron James. Who will stop him? Even after the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic last February, there were struggles between the two. Doncic led the team in shooting and usage, but at lower numbers than since his rookie season. James put most of the game aside but increased his usage and shot attempts, outscoring Luka by significant margins in the fourth quarters both in the regular season and in their first-round loss to Minnesota. Doncic instantly joined James' team mid-season. The torch never passed completely.
If there's a silver lining to James' absence this season, it's that it has allowed the Lakers to find themselves without that question hanging over their heads. Doncic is poised and plays like an MVP, but almost everyone else is doing well too. Austin Reeves is aiming for his first All-Star Game appearance. Rui Hachimura he's having a career year and Deandre Ayton is having the rebuilding season the Lakers needed. For so long, James played on teams that demanded everything from him. Now he's on a team that, at least so far, hasn't really needed anything. He gets what he wanted for so long. He also finds himself in a situation he has never played in before.
His injury may be helpful in this regard. He will reintegrate quite slowly. He said himself after his first practice with the Lakers this season, he felt like his lungs felt like those of a newborn baby and that eventually he would need to regain his breathing in real minutes. A couple of games with somewhat limited minutes will go a long way in figuring out exactly where he fits in with this new team. Of course, it helps that the Lakers made it to the cupcake portion of their schedule. Until mid-December, when their games are currently not scheduled due to the NBA Cup, they will play Jazz twice, Clippers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Sun, Predators And Celtics. They will be favored in all of these games if they are healthy enough. They can afford to experiment a little.
James will never be a role player. He's too good for that, the team needs him on the sidelines. But there is a balance here that the Lakers must strive for. They don't need him to average 25 points per game. About 18-20 will be more than enough, with the hope that most of them will get into the flow of the offense so as not to disrupt the rhythm that Doncic and Reaves especially have developed.
Getting there should be relatively easy. In recent years, more and more of James's scoring has come in transition, not because he's getting out and running more often, but because he's more aggressively looking for his own, easier shots while setting up teammates in the half-court, where creating his own look is more tiring.
Over the past few years, he has become a much more energetic catch-and-shoot gunner. In Cleveland, he peaked at 1.6 three-pointers per game. He averaged 3.5 with the Lakers, a mark the current team would like to see him match or even exceed as they have the fewest 3-pointers made in the NBA this season by a wide margin. James, to his credit, recognized this as a key moment for the coming season.
“I spent a lot of time catching and making 3-pointers,” James. said at media day in October. “…Understanding how I can make the most of when I don't have the ball or move into space. Obviously Luka and AR [Austin Reaves] I'm going to spend a lot of time on the ball. … We have a lot of guys who can handle the ball, so how can I be effective on a team where I don’t have to handle the ball as much?”
It is noteworthy that this quote came before the extent of his injury was known. Doncic didn't have to defend his place on the court as the team's alpha. James seemed willing to give up that spot voluntarily, and his return to the game will be our first look at what his newfound role as a supporting player really means for him. It will probably be bumpy. There will be disruptions as the Lakers figure out how to reintegrate one of the most dominant players of all time. But he is also one of the most versatile stars in history. Skill-wise, he's ready to do whatever the Lakers need him to do. Here the barometers will always be mindset and circumstances. His return will be our first look at how he plans to handle this. He said it's something he's wanted for a long time, and now the Lakers need him to embrace it.
