Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shrugged off his slow start in their 124-120 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night. James reminded everyone after the game that he is not a one-dimensional player, per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints.
“I don't care about that. I'm still able to get rebounds. Get my teammates involved. Still defend. I can still make an impact if I'm making shots or not. I'm not a one-dimensional player.”
James went scoreless in the first quarter, and didn't get on the scoreboard until he made a technical free-throw early in the second period. Moreover, he missed his first five shots from the field. His first bucket came with 9:15 remaining in the second. Nonetheless, the four-time MVP still finished the night with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 11-of-23 shooting.
As seen with his statline on the night, James is anything but a one-dimensional player. Obviously, the slow start did not faze him throughout the contest as he was still able to produce all-around numbers. The Akron-native impacts the game in a variety of ways and loves to get his teammates going.
While James is using this time to remind everyone what he's capable of, it's obvious that the three-time NBA champion is getting frustrated. It's easy to see why as the Lakers let another close one go, which has been the theme for the James-led squad this season. They previously blew their last two chances to pull off a couple of wins against the San Antonio Spurs, and lost by an average of 2.5 points. At least four of their five early season losses have come down the wire. However, they just weren't able to make the proper executions down the stretch to come up with the victory.
Nonetheless, there's no need to push the panic button yet for these young Lakers. At this point in his career, it's hard to bet against the best player in the world. Eventually, he and the Lakers will be able to figure things out. Once they do, they'll be able to pull off these close calls.
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