Imagine you’re LeBron James.
You’re arguably the greatest player of all-time. You’ve been the face of the league pretty much since you were drafted at age 18. You’re the only player who has reached season 23 and you’re still capable of leading an offense.
But you’re being asked to be the third option for the Lakers, who have won five games in a row and eight of their last nine contests.
James is handling that request with grace. He’s putting aside his ego. He’s willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the Lakers, who are soaring with Luka Doncic as the No. 1 option and Austin Reaves as No. 2.
James deserves more credit for what’s happening here.
Michael Jordan was the No. 1 option for the Wizards when he retired in 2003. Kobe Bryant was the No. 1 option for the Lakers when he retired in 2016. Do you think Jordan or Bryant would’ve been okay with playing behind two other players?
No chance.
Other stars such as Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and Carmelo Anthony saw their athleticism decline to the point where they could no longer be the top option as they got older.
For a player of James’ caliber to accept being a role player is incredible, especially when he’s still capable of playing at a superstar level.
It might be unprecedented.
The closest thing we’ve seen to this is Wilt Chamberlain, who shifted to more of a passing role later in his career when he still could’ve dominated as a scorer.
James could be scoring in the mid-20s every night. Instead, he’s averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7 assists. He’s shooting a career-low in field goals (15.8 a game). And amid the Lakers’ current winning streak, he has fully bought into being the Lakers’ third option.
“The team is most important,” James said after the Lakers beat the Bulls on Thursday. “Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual. But what’s important for this team? I’m able to adapt to what’s important for this team. And that’s the only thing that matters.”
All season, James has called the Lakers Doncic’s team.
But there was a stiltedness to the offense when James, Doncic and Reaves shared the court, which only happened 11 times before the All-Star break. James and Doncic are both used to having the ball in their hands. And Reaves’ aggressiveness fell off a cliff when he was playing alongside those two superstars.
The Big Three stunk. The Lakers were losing. Something had to give.
That became clear when the Lakers opened the season with a 15-4 start while James missed the first 14 games because of sciatica.
And it became undeniable again when the Lakers won three games in a row against the Pacers, Knicks and Timberwolves over the last two weeks while James was sidelined because of lingering left foot arthritis and a right hip contusion.
During that time, Redick and James had a talk.
A narrative had sprung up that the Lakers were better without James. That was obviously untrue. But it was clear roles needed to change, and that had to start with James embracing playing behind Doncic and Reaves.
Since James returned, he has had a different approach over the last two games.
In the Lakers’ 142-130 win over the Bulls on Thursday, James had a quietly efficient 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one blocked shot. He was the fourth-leading scorer behind Doncic (51 points), Reaves (30 points) and Deandre Ayton (23 points).
Similarly, in the Lakers’ 127-125 overtime win over the Nuggets on Saturday, James prioritized the things that don’t show up in stat sheets. He had a modest 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
In crunch time, he was aggressively attacking the lane and dishing the ball to his teammates, serving as the ultimate 6-foot-9, 250-pound decoy. He was deferring. It was unnatural. It was weird.
But it allowed Reaves to finish with a team-high 32 points and Doncic to have a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. It opened up the Lakers’ offense. It made the Big Three unstoppable.
Speaking of James embracing sacrificing, he even made a full-extension Superman dive for a loose ball with less than 1 minute left.
“He has all these records and whatever and he’s been to the Finals a billion times,” Reaves said. “But at the end of the day, he’s a winner and he wants to do what he can to help our team win the game. And that was one of the biggest plays of the game.”
James accepting being a role player has drastically changed things for the Lakers, who are in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 42-25. Since the All-Star break, they’re fifth in offensive rating, 12th in defensive rating and their Big Three has a net rating of +12.6.
And over the last week, the narrative around the team has wildly swung.
Instead of pundits wondering if the Lakers are better without James, they’re now asking a different question altogether.
Are the Lakers contenders?
It all starts with James, who’s showing a willingness to do something that would be an anathema to most megastars.
“It speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates,” Redick said. “And how much he wants to win.”
James could still be dominating games. He’s capable of triple-doubles. He’s able to be the best player on the court on any given night.
But he’s willing to operate in the so-called shadows. Amid a career full of awe-inspiring moments, this one deserves to be celebrated just as much.
And it’s changing the Lakers’ ceiling.
