LOS ANGELES — Injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have pushed LeBron James back into the Los Angeles Lakers’ No. 1 scoring position, a responsibility he had willingly ceded for most of his 23rd NBA season. The forward said he is comfortable resuming the lead role and plans to keep the team steady heading into the postseason.
Since Doncic and Reaves went down, James has averaged 28.0 points, 12.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds over three games, guiding the Lakers to a 2-1 record during that span.
“Sounds pretty cool. Sounds pretty good,” James said after the latest contest on April 10 at Crypto.com Arena. “I would’ve loved to get that 3-0 nod though. I had to tap back into a role I’m accustomed to, but circumstances put me there, and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates and have them feed off me so we can stay afloat.”
Asked what the Lakers need most from him as the playoffs approach, James pointed to composure rather than statistics. “Just stay even-keel,” he noted. “You don’t want to get too high, never get too low. The postseason brings even more intensified moments, so I’ll use my knowledge, the way I approach and lead the game. Guys lean on me and I lean on them. It’s a collective effort.”
During an Amazon Prime interview with Allie Clifton, the four-time MVP summed up his plan for the injury-thinned stretch: “Everything. Nothing changes for me, it’s just back to the old ways. I’ve got to lead in all facets on the court, both ends.”
The Lakers have not indicated when Doncic or Reaves will return, leaving James to steer the offense for the foreseeable future.
Source: Lakers Nation
