LeBron James has played all positions on the court – center being the latest addition to his position rotation.
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Every player worth their salt should be able to play all positions on a pickup court. While it isn’t necessary for a player to be excellent in all of them, it is a requirement to be called a good player. LeBron James however, is 10 tiers above good. Starting at the center position for the first time ever in his career against the Houston Rockets, LBJ was handed the reins to snap a 5=game losing streak.
What ensued was nothing short of sheer brilliance from the 4 time champion. He notched up a 30 point triple double, while arguably having his best plus minus all season. LeBron James at the 5 may have been due to several roster problems, but it is a stroke of brilliance by the coaching staff.
He then followed it up by playing against Damian Lillard and the Trailblazers, which also resulted in a blow out win. Bron has been an overall beast this season, but his best position on this Lakers roster might actually be center. “Point center James” as his new position is being dubbed, King James’s ability to switch up from post defending to offense creation is unmatched. The Lakers have many options at the center, but no one is currently better than LeBron right now.
Frank Vogel just indicated that, with LA’s success over the past month with center-less lineups, the Lakers will likely use Anthony Davis and LeBron James as their two primary centers once AD returns.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 1, 2022
LeBron James and his incredible run may all be in vain if the Lakers don’t make the playoffs
The struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers have been well documented – literally every game they play causes Skip Bayless to have a meltdown. There has been a blame game roulette – but none should be on the third-highest scorer of all time.
Leading the league in the most 30 point games despite playing considerably lesser games than the top three, LeBron is playing possibly the best basketball he’s played since 2018.
Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan have all been recruited to fill that center role in some capacity – but no one has been able to give that position the steel it deserves like Bron.
Signing Stanley Johnson for the rest of the season may be a good move for the Lakers, it allows the coaching staff to play LeBron in the center role more.
While this may a short burst of adrenaline, there is hope that this move sparks what can hopefully become a turning point in the Lakers season.
Currently languishing in 7th place, they are way off from being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender. For all of Bron’s heroics, nothing may come to any good if they don’t even make the playoffs now.
