The Los Angeles Lakers showcased one of their best performances this season against the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday. They won the game 128-124 in double overtime, and it was Anthony Davis who held it down for his team once again. While the win against the number two ranked team in the East at such a crucial juncture of the season calls for celebration, it has also stirred up another debate regarding LeBron James and his place on this Lakers squad.
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Paul Pierce talked about it earlier today on the UNDISPUTED show, claiming that without LeBron in the rotation, the Lakers are performing at their best. Now, this is not the first time that this conversation has happened around the LA franchise. But with consistent results in LBJ’s absence, the question needs better scrutiny.
Pierce seemed particularly impressed by AD on the show, saying, “Anthony Davis looked like the best player on the planet.” Apart from AD, he also heaped praise on Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
The Celtics legend said that Reaves reminded him of the great Larry Bird whereas DLo looked like he’s an All-Star player once again. But it all eventually boiled down to LeBron and his role on the team. Pierce tackled the question with nuance, “AD needs to be the man for the Lakers to go forward, and I think a lot of that has to do with LeBron pulling back and allowing these guys to free up.” The reason why Pierce wants LeBron to take a step back is because he thinks the 39-year-old holds the team back to some extent from winning games.
The 46-year-old added that with a superstar of King James’ stature on the squad, the ball rotation that is helping the Lakers win games will be severely affected. However, Pierce did say that when it comes to winning championships in the future, they will need LeBron on the team. But as far as these tough games are concerned, the Lakers a better team without him.
The Lakers without LeBron James
With the rise of this narrative, we have started seeing some major results in favor of the Lakers when LeBron is not on the court. Other than a special performance against the Bucks, the LeBron-less Lakers have also previously beaten the mighty Boston Celtics in Boston. According to the NBA’s usage chart, LeBron has the highest usage percentage on the Lakers squad so far this season with 28.5. He is ranked 27th overall, and the second Lakers player on the chart is AD at 47th place with 25.9%.
When we compare the Lakers’ usage percentage with and without LBJ on the team, DLo has a usage of 22.7% with LeBron, whereas he has 25.8% usage without him. AD’s stats tell the same story as he is at 26.1% with LeBron and 30.3% without him. Reaves’ percentage also goes up a little when LeBron is not on the team, as he has 21.5% usage without him and 20.3% with him. So, based on these stats, the claims against the four-time NBA Champion make a lot of sense as these players are better utilized when they play without the pressure of having a superstar on the team.
