LOS ANGELES — Injuries have trimmed the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation, but LeBron James is filling the gap with vintage numbers.
The 41-year-old forward has averaged 28.0 points, 12.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds over his past three outings, converting 60 percent of his shots from the floor and better than 46 percent from three-point range. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves unavailable, James has resumed primary offensive duties.
“I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past,” James said after the team’s most recent game. “Circumstances have put me back in there, and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates, teammates are feeding off of me, and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”
Expanded Responsibilities for Kennard
Guard Luke Kennard has taken on additional ball-handling tasks during the injury spell. Over the last four games he has handed out 31 assists, drawing praise from head coach JJ Redick and teammates.
“He’s just a ball player,” James noted. “People just kind of gave him the narrative of just being a shooter. But he does so many more things. He can handle the ball, he can rebound the ball, he can make plays. And what we’re missing right now, we need it.”
Vanderbilt, Redick Resolve Sideline Moment
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt said a recent in-game exchange with Redick is no longer an issue. “We talked about it, we moved on from it,” Vanderbilt explained. “At this point in the season, we both realize this is the group we got. So it’s definitely not a time for anybody to separate.”
Postseason Positioning
Los Angeles has locked up home-court advantage for the opening round of the playoffs, but the exact seed is undecided. The Lakers and Denver Nuggets will occupy the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in some order. A victory over Utah on Sunday, coupled with a Denver loss at San Antonio, would elevate Los Angeles to the third seed; any other combination leaves the club fourth.
The Lakers close the regular season intent on getting healthy while James continues to anchor an offense in flux.
Source: Hoops Wire
