LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s all-time leading scorer likely believed his days of single-handedly carrying teams were behind him.
Throughout his career, LeBron James has repeatedly lifted ordinary rosters to remarkable heights, but this season with the Los Angeles Lakers looked different. Playing his first complete campaign alongside Luka Doncic, the 41-year-old superstar had stepped into more of a complementary role, watching Doncic lead the offense while emerging talent Austin Reaves flourished.
The strategy proved highly effective during Los Angeles’ impressive 16-2 run in March, capturing the Pacific Division title and sparking discussions about potentially challenging powerhouses Oklahoma City or San Antonio in the postseason.
However, disaster struck in early April when both Doncic suffered a hamstring injury and Reaves went down with an oblique strain during the Lakers’ first game of the month, leaving both stars facing multi-week absences.
Suddenly, James finds himself thrust back into the familiar position of being his team’s primary hope, with the Lakers’ playoff aspirations now resting on the shoulders of a player entering his 23rd NBA season.
As Los Angeles prepares to face the Houston Rockets in Saturday night’s playoff opener, James faces another seemingly impossible task in a career filled with them: maintaining the Lakers’ championship hopes until his injured teammates can return.
“I’ve had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously wasn’t what it was this year,” James explained. “Circumstances have put me back in here, and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates (while my) teammates feed off of me. Trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”
This challenge would overwhelm most players, but James has repeatedly proven his ability to rise to such occasions. Following his 26-point, 11-assist, eight-rebound performance in the Lakers’ victory over Golden State, reporters asked what his team requires from him without their top two scorers.
“Everything,” James responded. “So nothing changes for me. Just back to the old ways.”
James has dedicated most of his basketball career to elevating those around him. Even after departing Cleveland initially to join Miami’s super-team and reduce that burden, he returned home and spent four additional seasons leading the Cavaliers to consecutive NBA Finals appearances against Golden State — including an incredible stretch to six games in 2015 without Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love, followed by orchestrating Cleveland’s historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit to claim the 2016 championship.
Currently, the Lakers recognize that unfortunate injuries have likely undermined what appeared to be a promising campaign. Doncic, who topped the league in scoring, has traveled to Spain seeking medical treatments that might accelerate his return, while Reaves appears unlikely to play in the opening playoff round.
Despite these setbacks, Lakers head coach JJ Redick maintains confidence with James in the lineup.
“We’re going to need him to facilitate, and we’re going to need him to score,” Redick stated. “We’re going to need him to defend and rebound. I think he recognizes the task at hand, and he’s very locked in. He’s played great.”
Injuries have plagued all three Lakers stars this season, limiting their time playing together until recently. James battled sciatica that caused him to miss training camp and the season’s first 14 games, yet he appeared in 60 of the following 68 contests for Los Angeles, including five consecutive game sets.
“He had not a good season, not a great — he had a remarkable season, all things considered,” Redick observed. “You take away the fact that he’s in his 23rd year, and he’s 41 years old, he had a remarkable season. The fact that those things are real, and they’re very real in terms of the day-to-day management, it’s unbelievable what he did this year.”
James’ statistics show only minor adjustments to his advanced age and reduced responsibilities behind Doncic and Reaves: His 20.9 points per game marked his lowest average since his 2003-04 rookie campaign, while his 33.2 minutes per game represented a career low.
However, when the spotlight returns to James, he continues performing at an elite level with stunning consistency. He concluded the regular season by averaging 24.0 points, 9.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals across three Lakers wins that secured home-court advantage for the opening playoff round.
James earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors Monday for the 70th time — exceeding the combined total of any other two players in league history.
“Just trying to squeeze as much of the juice as I can, until it’s as dry as it can be for me,” James reflected. “I’ve been given an opportunity to play the game that I love, and tried to do it at a high level, and I’ve tried to commit to it, and the game has given back to me.”
