When LeBron James missed the first 14 games of this season with sciatica, some Los Angeles Lakers fans were concerned that once he was cleared to play, he would start gunning and looking to pad his stats while possibly disrupting the team’s promising start.
That hasn’t exactly happened. Yes, the Lakers started struggling shortly after James made his season debut, and yes, an argument could be made that they have played better without him this season. But he has taken a step back offensively and let Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves cook.
Coming into Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, the 41-year-old was averaging 21.4 points on 50.4% field-goal shooting this season. Thursday’s contest was his first game back after missing the last three due to a couple of different ailments, but he continued to stay in his lane, and the Lakers scored a 142-130 win, which was their fourth in a row and seventh in their last eight tries.
James acknowledged that he is sacrificing his own numbers for the good of the team.
“I mean, if it benefits others, it benefits the team. The team is most important,” he said. “Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to. … And that’s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
JJ Redick also confirmed that James is trying to put his team first.
Via ESPN:
“LeBron and I, we talked, we had a great conversation over the last couple days,” Redick said. “He wants to do everything possible to help his team win, and he understands the importance of making sure Luka and AR can be at their best. And you know, that’s incredible with him.
“It speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates, and how much he wants to win.”
James had a very modest 18 points on Thursday and didn’t even attempt or make a shot until the second quarter. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic was a supernova with 51 points, while Austin Reaves continued his resurgence with 30 points.
James is averaging a career low in shot attempts, but at this stage of his career, he has achieved all the individual accomplishments he could realistically earn. The only way he can truly enhance his resume and legacy these days is to win another NBA championship, and while the Lakers likely don’t have a good enough roster to win it all, the league’s all-time leading scorer doesn’t seem as if he’s focused on his own stats.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James on sacrificing his scoring for the good of his team
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