As LeBron James ages, his playstyle has remained effective but has changed significantly, and he’s looking to get his teammates involved.
On Tuesday night, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Washington Wizards, 111-88. James recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, scoring 21 points to go with 13 assists and 10 rebounds.
James and Anthony Davis are both still top-15 players in the NBA, and when they’re firing, the Lakers are one of the more dangerous teams in the league.
As he ages, James has changed his playstyle, which could be a key reason for his sustained longevity.
Since coming to the Lakers in 2018, James has averaged 3.6 turnovers per game, up from his career average before the move. Against the Wizards, James turned the ball over five times, but it’s the result of his team-first playstyle.
Since turning 35 years old, James has emerged as one of the best floor generals in the NBA and has taken a bit of a step back in terms of scoring output, although the 40-year-old can still get buckets.
“I think he’s looking to get triple-doubles, that’s also the reason some games he has a lot of turnovers, he’s just trying to get his teammates the ball,” suggested Robert Horry during the postgame show on Tuesday.
“He knows at this age he can’t take over teams each and every night like he’s used to doing. He needs to rely on his teammates.”
This season, Davis’ scoring has increased by an entire point per game from last season, and he is posting the sixth-best scoring season of his career. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, is taking more shots and scoring more than he ever has before.
“If he gets AR involved, if he gets AD involved, and then he goes out and gets Rui involved,” praised Horry.
He adds that James does this, to try and conserve his energy to impact the game in the fourth quarter.
“When he gets these guys involved, that’s going to make it easy for him, so that down the stretch, he can get to the hole easier.”
At 23-18, the Lakers are poised to make the playoffs even with James scoring fewer points. However, his newfound pass-first style is winning games, and he will be healthy and ready to go in the postseason, where he will be more open to taking games over.
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