LeBron James may no longer be the star man on the Los Angeles Lakers with the advent of a certain Luka Doncic. However, at 41, James is still defying odds, and had plenty to work through in the win as he returned with 13 points and 11 assists.
Head coach JJ Redick shared a tidbit that he claimed LeBron himself would not have wanted him to share.
“He probably doesn't want me to share, but he was dealing with a migraine as well pregame and just again, he just rings the bell over and over,” he revealed per a post on X by The Athletic’s Benjamin Royer.
James’ availability was in doubt pre-game as well, as he appeared on the Lakers’ injury report with left knee soreness. However, per Redick, he also fought against a migraine to play a pivotal role for his team.
This was only the 11th time in 55 games that the trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron played together, something the Lakers will hope becomes the norm as we move ahead. James was instrumental throughout, scoring seven first-quarter points as he perfectly complemented Doncic’s early explosion.
He eventually finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 11 assists, three rebounds and a steal. And well, while fatigue did seemingly play a part in the second half, LeBron still fought through and logged minutes late in the game as well.
While Doncic’s 38 points and 11 assists carried the scoring load and Reaves added 29 points, James acted for might of the night as the glue that kept things ticking. That will exactly be the kind of role fans will want James to embrace, especially in the business part of the season.
The Lakers have thus far carefully managed James’ workload throughout the season, and while he has missed 18 games already, fans will hope he plays a major role in the coming weeks.
