LeBron’s new role with the Lakers: winning strategy or tactical mistake?
In the loss to the Detroit Pistons, LeBron James nearly records a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists – but finishes the first half scoreless
The Detroit Pistons put an end to the Los Angeles Lakers’ nine-game winning streak. A setback that came in a 113-110 loss, with the home team containing the 32 points of an inspired Luka Doncic and a near triple-double from LeBron James, who finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
An efficient performance from the four-time NBA champion, but one that didn’t come without struggles. The Lakers’ No. 23 had just 4 rebounds and 6 assists at halftime, along with an unusual 0-for-5 shooting – well below his season average of 21 points per game.
This is the role I’m playing for the team. For us to win games, this is the role I’m taking on. And that’s just how it is
LeBron James
After the game, LeBron (who recently set the all-time record for appearances in the previous matchup against Orlando) addressed the media about his new role. He has ceded the primary scoring duties to Doncic and the secondary role to Austin Reaves, focusing instead on facilitating through assists and rebounds.
Head coach JJ Redick also addressed the topic in his press conference, offering a slightly different perspective: according to him, it was James himself who chose a more unselfish approach, voluntarily stepping away from the pure scorer role that the context would usually demand of him.
I thought he played a very unselfish game. He finished with 10 assists. We missed him a couple of times… We ran some actions for him, and he did a great job not just looking to score, but making the right play like he always does, and he ended up with 10 assists
JJ Redick
The last time LeBron went scoreless in a half
To find a LeBron James game without points in a half, you have to go back 16 years – to December 20, 2010. On that occasion, the then Miami Heat forward went into halftime against the Dallas Mavericks with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, an 0-for-3 shooting line, and a -17 plus/minus.
There’s a subtle thread connecting the two performances: even then, James finished with a double-double – 19 points, 10 rebounds, along with 7 assists – but his team still couldn’t avoid a narrow loss. That time, it was those same Mavericks who celebrated, and by the end of that season, they would go on to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the South Beach floor.