LeBron James has proven over and over that any supposed comfort and willingness to take a back seat offensively is never actually realized on a consistent basis.
He was deferential to a fault during his first season with the Miami Heat, before heeding the advice of Dwyane Wade to be himself and driving Miami to consecutive championships. He didn't live up to his promise of splitting playmaking duties with Kyrie Irving on something close to a full-time basis during their days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, instead maintaining his alpha-dog role while allowing his sidekick general shot-making freedom, in the end accomplishing the crowning achievement of his career. And during his debut campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, an aging James never actually ended up ceding ball-handling duties to Lonzo Ball or putting a new emphasis on playing from the post, but it didn't much matter because he kept proving Father Time wrong anyway.
That's the thing about James' rigid sense of his role in his team's offensive hierarchy – he's so, so effective playing it, leading to both team and individual success, that it's hard for anyone to take lasting issue with him refusing to play another one. But if Kawhi Leonard signs with the Lakers this summer, creating what some believe could be the best Big Three in league history, James is apparently finally ready to pull back on the reins offensively. Maybe even more importantly? All the drama that's surrounded him over the past few seasons, from thinly-veiled social media jabs directed at teammates to largely apathetic defense, James has pledged to curb, too.
“And according to a source close to James, it’s this focus on being an incredible teammate that will be at the center of his message to Leonard,” reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“He’ll make it clear that he’s truly willing to tailor his talents around theirs. He might dispel this notion that all the recent Lakers nonsense is their never-ending norm. He’ll candidly discuss the truth about the point he has reached in his legendary career, how his age and all those meaningful miles mean that Leonard and Davis could have the keys to this Lakers kingdom long after his playing days are done.”
There's never been a better time for James to honor his word. He's coming off the most serious injury of his career, and by the end of the upcoming season will have played more minutes than all but two players ever. Leonard and Anthony Davis are in the thick of their primes, both scraping at James' current level of play and one, in the eyes of many, having already surpassed it. If James wants to win multiple additional titles, this is the opportunity.
Soon enough we'll find out if Leonard buys what he and the Lakers selling.
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