Gil’s Arenas’ co-host, Nick Young, had an interesting outlook on LeBron James’ defensive prowess.
The Los Angeles Lakers are once again the fourth seed in the Western Conference following a tough win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In a game where the Lakers shot just 26.8% from the three-point line and 69.6% from the free-throw line, the end result could have gone either way.
However, the Lakers managed to secure a win behind a stellar defensive performance, led by none other than LeBron James.
Despite being 40 years old, James has shown he can always kick it up a notch on the defensive end of the floor if and when required.
Well, since the Lakers parted ways with Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the King has been a defensive beast. So much so that Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes that James should receive consideration to be on the 2025 NBA All-Defensive team.
As ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said, the biggest reason behind James turning back the clock is Doncic’s arrival. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar is an insane playmaker, which allows James to focus on other aspects of the game.
Thanks to this transition, the Lakers have emerged as one of the top defensive teams in the league over the last month or so.
Former LA Lakers guard Nick Young recently countered coach Redick’s take and pointed out a major flaw in the narrative around James’ improved defense.
“Bron ain’t doing nothing but guarding the ______ person on each team. The four man guarding the ______ person on each team. I’m sorry,” Young said.
He added, referring to the win over the Mavericks: “Ain’t no four man’s in the league that he got to really worry about now, but AD. AD wasn’t out there, so you didn’t have to guard him.”
While Young did admit that James is doing good for his age, he firmly believes that the Lakers star is picking up the easiest matchup available on the court.
It’s certainly not true, as James proved during the Lakers’ recent win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 4x NBA champ accepted Anthony Edwards‘ assignment, among others, and led the Lakers’ defensive unit.
