LeBron James is Embracing Being the Second Option With Los Angeles Lakers

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic last season, it felt like a move a team would make to prepare for a future without LeBron James. 

Both players have thrived throughout their careers as ball-dominant point-forwards with notoriously high usage rates. The Lakers' acquisition of Doncic is obviously a phenomenal move, especially given how little they had to give up to get him; however, the fit next to LeBron felt questionable at best.

Now that LeBron has missed some time due to injury, Austin Reeves has stepped up and taken over as the Lakers' secondary offensive general. With LeBron now back in JJ Reddick’s lineup, it was interesting to see how much different he looked out on the court than in years past.

It would be dumb to make broad generalizations about LeBron after one game, but his play style felt starkly different from just last season. The biggest takeaway was how little the ball stuck in his hands. LeBron is known for being ball-dominant, working in pick-and-roll, or isolation sets; however, he really let the offense work around him in his season opener against the Jazz. It never felt like the ball had a chance to even stick in his hands as he was quick to work the ball around to the rest of his teammates, leading to a game-high 12 assists.

Again, it was only one game, but LeBron’s usage rate was under 14% against the Jazz. Throughout his career, he’s had only 4 seasons in which his total was under 30%, so I’m assuming that number will increase a good bit as the year goes along. My only concern with LeBron taking a lesser role in the offense is how engaged he will stay on the defensive end.

He drew a tough defensive assignment against Lauri Markkanen, but he seemed a step slow guarding him one-on-one last night. He had multiple blow-by's for easy scores and really struggled with his off-the-ball defense. When the Jazz worked the ball around the perimeter, his rotations were late or even non-existent. Is this LeBron knowing how long the regular season is and trying to keep his body fresh for the playoffs, is this the aging curve catching up with him, or could it just be an effort thing? I don’t want to blame any one thing for now, but it will be something to monitor this season.

Overall, it was still an impressive debut from LeBron, and I’m excited to see more ways JJ Reddick incorporates him into a high-powered Lakers offense. Hopefully, he’s embracing the fact that this is Doncic’s team, because if LeBron buys in, the Lakers are once again contenders, even in a loaded Western Conference.