The Los Angeles Lakers started the season a little rocky and have somewhat righted the ship. As things currently stand, the Lakers are 11-8, which is good enough for seventh place in the NBA's Western Conference. And while they have won seven of their last ten games, there is still some kinks to get worked out.
Plenty can talk about how they close games and how they have moments where they seem lost defensively, but one thing no one talks about is the leader of this team: LeBron James. He has been spectacular in the numbers he has put up this season, averaging a little over 28 points a game while averaging right under eight rebounds and seven assists a game.
LeBron James has been as advertised stat-wise, but as a leader of the Lakers, there are some little things he has to tighten up for the Lakers to go where they want to go.
LeBron James is a freakish athlete with the ability to defend multiple positions and chase down players from behind for blocks. Although he is capable of being a good defender, he has been sloppy at times. Honestly, the sloppiness on the defensive end started when he returned to Cleveland after his four years in Miami.
He still has his moments defensively, but he is not locked in at all times. If you watch him on the defensive end, sometimes he inexplicably runs to go double someone with the basketball. The way his teammates respond in these situations makes it seems like he is doing this all on his own. As a result, he ends up leaving his team out to dry for either an open shot or layup.
For the Lakers to be better defensively, he has to be honest and play the basics instead of going rogue sometimes on that end of the court. Besides, he does not have to do that with the shot-blocking of JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler behind him.
Along with the inexplicable double-teams, LeBron James sometimes doesn't put as much energy into the defensive end of the court at all. No player is perfect, and LeBron isn't going to stop everyone every single time on the court, but sometimes it is just ridiculous the effort on that end of the court. He can sometimes just let people drive right by him on the court.
The result is the defense is compromised and the Lakers give up some points. Now we know how much LeBron gives to the Lakers offensively and he is vital to them on that end of the court, but he has to be better for them during the season on the defensive end. After all, the way the West is set up, he cannot coast at times like he did in the East.
Offensively, the things he is doing are extraordinary. He is shooting the three-pointer at a little over a 38% clip. And as far as making plays for his teammates, he is getting them shots they are not used to being as open on. He has done some great things there in helping the team, but he has also done some head-scratching things as well.
The perfect example is when he blew past a defender and had a layup. You would think he would take the layup, but instead, he kicks it back out to a wide open Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. LeBron thought it was the best decision based off him speaking after the game, but in this instance, you take the layup.
This question has been posed to LeBron a lot over his career when it comes to late games “to shoot or not shoot” questions, but when you're right at the rim, that is one you should shoot. LeBron has been highly successful over his career and made a lot of great decisions, but some times you do have to scratch your head.
LeBron James is a great player and he will lead the Lakers to a lot of wins over his time there, but with any superstar player, greatness is looked for in all situations. The reality is LeBron James is a great player who has moments where he is not dialed in. With a team full of young players, it will be interesting to see how they react to some of the things LeBron does or doesn't do on the court over time. It will also be something to keep an eye on whether he picks it up as the season goes on or coasts along the entire rest of the season at times on the defensive end.
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