Which team would say no to having LeBron James in its starting lineup? But with how good the Los Angeles Lakers have looked without the King, it’s raised questions over whether his return has the potential to spoil things.
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It might seem like a bizarre claim. The best player in the world for the last 20 years doesn’t really make any team worse, but it’s all about chemistry. And that’s what trusted NBA advisor Brian Windhorst voiced concern over in a recent NBA on ESPN episode.
Windhorst praised the Lakers for looking good despite suffering early-season injury setbacks with James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves all out at one point. They still have a 9-4 record and that’s incredible on its own. But behind these wins are some under-the-radar stats that suggest they should be below .5f00, and for that reason, Windhorst believes they need LeBron James.
“They are a bottom 10 defensive team in the league, they are a bottom 10 net-rating team, like their numbers indicate they should be a losing team,” he began. “They have done really well mitigating their challenges, basically because Luka and Austin have been so great.”
“But… they need LeBron,” Windhorst insisted. “I understand that working him in is probably gonna mess with their flow a little bit, but let’s just have a real talk here…”
Ramona Shelburne, Windy’s co-host, further raised the dilemma of whether LeBron should simply be himself or try to fit into the system that has flourished so well without him.
“I wanna see what LeBron’s demeanor is,” Windhorst continued. “Frankly, LeBron’s demeanor kind of varies sometimes. Sometimes he’s just super engaged and happy and bouncy, and sometimes he’s brooding, and the Lakers have a pretty good chemistry going.
“Let’s acknowledge, LeBron’s never done this before. First off, he had a knee injury at the start of the summer, so he was totally off his game already… so he missed that stretch, and then he has sciatica, and he has to go through that.
“So, even if he was 10 years younger, he would be doing something he had never done before, which was joining a team mid-stream,” Windhorst opined.
It looks like James’ return is close. And that’s why there is so much buzz around his role in the Lakers. Doncic may be the new face of the franchise, but even at 40, James is a draw, and a menace for the opposition.
It’s up to JJ Reddick to make sure he integrates well into the side.
