The Lakers have been a pretty good team when LeBron James has been in the lineup. They’ve also been pretty good when he’s had to sit, as he did in yesterday’s 110-97 win over the Knicks. The numbers bear that out, as L.A. is 28-19 in games that LeBron plays in, and 11-6 without him.
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There’s been a strange discourse around the Lakers all season. From the jump, they’ve hung tough in the Western Conference playoff race, and are currently tied with the Nuggets for fifth and just a game from the Wolves in third. Only the Thunder and Spurs have been clearly better in the conference.
Despite that, there’s been an undercurrent of discontent all year, both about how the Lakers look from game to game, and about their postseason prospects. Maybe it’s just a media narrative, or maybe there really are issues, but it’s difficult to tell.
Paul Pierce thinks he knows what the problem is, and he shared it on the latest episode of No Fouls Given. “Luka and LeBron’s skill set is too repetitive with each other,” he said. “It doesn’t mix and match, because if LeBron isn’t on the ball, controlling the game, controlling the decision-making, it doesn’t feel right or look right.”
“And then, being a liability on defense at the age of 41, it just is. It just is what it is, and this is not taking away from LeBron’s greatness, but you have to have a certain team built around Luka, and LeBron doesn’t fit that mold,” the former NBA champion explained.
LeBron has willingly ceded alpha status to Luka Doncic since the Lakers traded for the Slovenian superstar last year, but Pierce believes that when LeBron is out, all the rest of the pieces just make more sense. “When you exclude LeBron out the equation, everybody falls into the Luka kind of mold of what they need — spot-up shooting, I have another playmaker in Reaves like I had with Kyrie, and that’s all I need.”
All signs do seem to be pointing to LeBron leaving after this year. It’s always been an uneasy alliance and the fanbase has never totally embraced him the way he hoped they would. There was also the story earlier this season about Jeanie Buss’ issues with him behind the scenes. Now the team is under new ownership, making it even more likely that they’d want to start fresh.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that LeBron will retire. He obviously still has good basketball left in him, and though there are some fun potential destinations for him next year, such as the Warriors to play with Steph Curry or the Knicks to try and help them get over the hump, the smart money looks like it’s on Cleveland.
A return to where it all began just makes too much sense from a narrative perspective, and from a basketball one, LeBron’s game meshes more with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anyway. That Cavs team would have a shot at a title, but it could be a win-win for all parties involved, because the Lakers could then go out and find the right pieces to build around Luka.
LeBron on this Lakers team isn’t a bad thing, but as Pierce said, it is what it is. The Lakers are good, but won’t be great until things change. The only mystery is in seeing how it all plays out from now until this summer.
