LeBron Still Shouldering Load
At 41, LeBron James is still being described as having 'plenty left in the tank' while analysts say injuries and roster questions are forcing him into a bigger playoff role. ( )
LeBron James is back carrying the Lakers’ offense at age 41, with Los Angeles heading into the playoffs short-handed and still fighting for seeding. (hoopsrumors.com) The Lakers secured home-court advantage for the first round on Friday, April 10, and entered Sunday, April 12, locked into either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The National Basketball Association’s playoff tracker listed Los Angeles in the No. 4 spot, with Denver also in the mix for No. 3. (nba.com, hoopsrumors.com) That late push has come without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, whose injuries forced Coach J. J. Redick to rebuild the rotation in the final week of the regular season. Hoops Rumors, citing Southern California News Group and The Athletic, reported that Marcus Smart was also still out with a right ankle contusion as of April 9. (hoopsrumors.com) James had spent much of this season as a third offensive option, a first in his 23-year career, before the injuries changed the math. In his first three games back as the primary hub, he averaged 28.0 points, 12.7 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting 60.0% from the field and 46.2% from three, according to Hoops Rumors’ roundup of reporting from The California Post. (hoopsrumors.com) The immediate question is not whether Los Angeles has a playoff berth; it does. The question is how much offense James must create before Doncic and Reaves are available, with the play-in tournament starting April 14 and the first round opening April 18. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) Redick has not framed James’ role as a smaller, age-managed assignment. Coverage aggregated by MSN and other outlets from Redick’s April 11 remarks said the Lakers still need James to handle a full offensive burden in the postseason. (msn.com, fadeawayworld.net) The supporting cast has had to absorb work that usually belongs to Doncic and Reaves. Luke Kennard logged 31 assists over a four-game stretch, and James said the Lakers need more of Kennard’s ballhandling and playmaking than ever while the roster is depleted. (hoopsrumors.com) The rotation has looked unstable elsewhere. Redick said Deandre Ayton had trouble catching entry passes in a loss to Oklahoma City, and Jarred Vanderbilt and Redick both publicly moved past a sideline confrontation that came during the same late-season stretch. (hoopsrumors.com, hoopsrumors.com) There is recent evidence that James can still steady the group by himself. ESPN’s team page said he posted 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in a 101-73 win over Phoenix that clinched first-round home court for Los Angeles. (espn.com) That is the position the Lakers take into the bracket: a 52-29 team with home court, a top-four seed, and a 41-year-old star doing lead-creator work again because the roster around him is not whole. (espn.com, nba.com, hoopsrumors.com)
