The start of the 2025-26 season was difficult for LeBron James, who missed multiple games due to sciatica, a stretch during which the Lakers were actually performing at a high level thanks to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. That sparked the notion that the team might be better off without him, something that sounds absurd to those close to him.
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James has missed a total of 21 games because of injuries, with elbow and hip problems affecting the 41-year-old currently. And the Purple and Gold’s record in that stretch? 14-7. In other words, they’ve won more without him than they’ve lost.
Many are now saying that LA functions much better with James on the sideline and the offense running entirely through Doncic and Reaves. It’s not the craziest theory. Doncic and Reaves are young bucks and James, as great as he still can be, is 41 and potentially in one of the final seasons of his career. Rich Paul, however, won’t buy this narrative.
The famed Klutch Sports CEO, who is also LBJ’s agent, spoke about this during his latest Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman. “You hear all the nonsense about the team being better without LeBron. I never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James. Still this one not either,” said Paul.
“I think it’s more about figuring it out. Sometimes it takes you longer than not because for a guy who has been on the ball for so long, how do you play him off the ball?” he added. “And You have to factor in his presence. You have to realize something. Most guys who step on the floor with LeBron James, No. 1, are in awe.”
It’s a predictable response from someone who has always been Team LeBron, but he does sort of have a point. Having James on the court is never a bad thing, even if it’s as a distraction.
Rich Paul on the narrative that the Lakers are better without LeBron:
“You hear all the nonsense about the team being better without LeBron, I never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James…. You have to factor in his presence. Most guys who step on the… pic.twitter.com/5bcoV3iJZf
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 16, 2026
Head coach JJ Redick gave a much better answer during a postgame scrum, explaining that even James knows the Lakers’ offense runs better with Doncic as the engine. However, Redick described it as the “human element,” saying it is hard not to make LBJ the focus, given he has been such a force in that role for over 20 seasons.
“I know LeBron, he recognizes the importance of having Luka as the engine. All he really wants is to impact winning. Again, I’ve said this now for the past two weeks. We’re gonna get there. We’re gonna get there,” said Redick. It feels like he’s right. LeBron can take this time now to figure out his role, even if it’s as a role player.
The hardest part about this whole conversation is that we are approaching a point where we have to see LeBron gear up for his finale. Every possession feels important because this could be the last year that he remains a presence in the NBA. Taking the ball out of his hands is the right thing to do, even if it still feels so silly to say.
