LeBron James Emphasizes Rebounding as Lakers Prepare for Rockets
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James says controlling the boards will be vital when the team opens its first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Head coach JJ Redick told reporters the club will lean heavily on James after what he called a “remarkable” 2025-26 regular season from the 21-year veteran. The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both ruled out indefinitely, leaving James to shoulder a larger load on both ends of the floor.
Houston, which finished the season as the NBA’s most productive offensive-rebounding team of the past quarter-century, presents an immediate challenge. Asked Thursday how the Lakers can neutralize that advantage, James offered a blunt directive.
“Get your ass in there, box out and rebound,” he said after practice at the team’s facility. “We’re grown men—do your job.”
James noted that offensive rebounds fuel Houston’s attack, especially during dry spells caused by the Rockets’ lack of a healthy traditional point guard. Preventing second-chance points, he added, will be critical for a shorthanded Lakers squad trying to dictate tempo.
While the Rockets enter the series as favorites, Redick pointed to James’s postseason résumé and late-season form as reasons for optimism. James, meanwhile, welcomed the extra rest that came with avoiding the Play-In Tournament—an event the Lakers have needed in previous years to secure playoff berths.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for this weekend at Crypto.com Arena.
Source: LakersNation.com
