With two of the Lakers’ big three out, LeBron James finds himself once again asked to be anything and everything for the purple and gold.
That would normally be a ton of pressure to put on one player in the postseason, but LeBron is not your typical athlete.
In Game 1 against the Rockets, he didn’t throw up a bunch of shots to try to make up for the production Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves typically provide.
Instead, he activated his point guard mode and got everyone involved. LeBron had eight assists
in the first quarter, which was the most assists he’s had in any quarter in his playoff career.
As the contest progressed, LeBron began looking for his shot. He dominated inside the paint and shot 9-15 from the field. James also had a pair of steals, a block, eight rebounds and the best plus-minus on the team at +11.
Thanks to his all-around game, the Lakers beat the Rockets 107-98 and are 15 wins away from a title.
After the victory, LeBron talked about his role on this team and how he can help uplift the shorthanded Lakers.
“Well, for me, I got to do a little bit of everything,” LeBron said. “That’s what the job requires. So it’s being a triple threat, being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot, also defend, put myself in a position where I can bring value to this ball club, bring value to this team throughout this series.
“It’s going to be a game-to-game situation to see how the game plays out. I don’t predetermine what I’m going to do. The only thing that’s predetermined in my game is how I prepare. I’ll prepare before I get to the game and then once I get out there, it’s all about reading and reacting, understanding situations. I’ve been in every situation you could ever imagined as a basketball player, so there’s nothing that can surprise me.”
As the league’s oldest player and a four-time NBA champion, LeBron is an amazing option as your leader. He’s seen all the highs and lows and isn’t just a vocal leader but also an All-Star player producing on the court.
The Lakers had a nice break between their last regular-season game and their first playoff contest, and James was a big reason why the Lakers looked so sharp after some time off.
“He displayed great leadership throughout,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “We talked all week about being connected offensively and trusting the pass and he led us there in the first half, getting 10 assists and then was able to make some scoring plays down the stretch. Just a fantastic overall game from him and he gave us all he had on the defensive end. He really exerted himself on both ends and that’s what the playoffs are.”
LeBron led the charge, and the rest of his teammates followed. Luke Kennard had a playoff career-high 27 points, Deandre Ayton had a double-double and Rui Hachimura shot 60% from the field, scoring 14.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Lakers to win this series, but this was as good a start as anyone could ask for. If James can keep this up and his teammates follow, then the Lakers will maximize what they can do this postseason.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
