LeBron James Calls Out Critics Who Questioned His Ability to Play ‘Any Role’ For Lakers

LeBron James made his much awaited debut in his 23rd season in the NBA and capped it off with an impressive win over the Utah Jazz.

LeBron James Calls Out Critics Who Questioned His Ability to Play ‘Any Role’ For Lakers

LeBron James made his much awaited debut in his 23rd season in the NBA and capping it off with an impressive win over the Utah Jazz (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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LeBron James is finally back in action for a record-breaking 23rd season in the NBA. It was James’ first appearance on court in seven months, the last time being a loss in game five against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And it was a happy return to court as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz in a high-scoring, 140-126, at the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.

During James’ absence, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves carried the offensive burden that propelled the Lakers to 10-4 heading into the clash. The win improved their record to 11-4 and to fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

But questions were asked as James’ return loomed, whether he would affect the team’s chemistry and how would his presence on the court affect Reaves, who has been one of the breakout stories for the Lakers this season. The guard has been averaging 28.1 points and 7.6 assists so far.

The Lakers needs James to fit in, to be a cog in the system instead of THE system, for perhaps the first time in his career. After a humiliating defeat to the defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, last week, it showed that a monumental gap still exists between L.A. and the best in the West. A player of James’ calibre can help shrink it by playing a different role than he’s accustomed to.

Following the win on Tuesday, James had a few words to share when questioned if he could fit into the team:

I said it yesterday post-practice. I can fit in with anybody. I don’t even understand why that was even a question. What’s wrong with these people out here? Just watching these guys playing in the first 14 games, I was putting myself in position on how I can help the team and how I could be successful to help those guys.

New role for LeBron James on his return

While he may be on a minutes restriction till he finds his feet again since the long injury layoff, James was more of an orchestrator on Tuesday. The all-time NBA points leader scored only 11 points but had 12 assists to his name in 30 minutes. He attempted only seven shots which was the lowest among the starters.

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LeBron James (Right) and JJ Redick (Left) (Image credits – beIN SPORTS)

Doncic led the scorers table with 37 points and 10 assists while Reaves scored 26 and Ayton scored 20. It will be interesting to see if James will continue to play as the third option, behind Doncic and Reaves, once he finds his rhythm during the season.

There has been a lot of noise on the internet to convince the masses that the Lakers may be better off without James, but any player who averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds the season prior can only add to a hopeful contender.

LeBron James returns to court with a win

Things are heading in the positive direction for the Lakers following the win. Doncic has officially snatched the baton from James as the franchise’s present and future. If Reaves can continue to be the offensive weapon he has been so far this season, then a lot of the burden will be lifted off James as he will be able to pick and choose his moments to attack and operate more as a playmaker.

Post-match, when asked about his wind and rhythm, the 40-year-old was in good spirits, “Wind was a little shaky to begin with but honestly that was expected. But as the game went on, my wind got a lot better, caught my second wind, third wing. Rhythm is still coming back honestly, still my first game in almost seven months. Everything that happened tonight was as expected.

As James begins to find his legs and rhythm, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can close the gap against the big teams in the west and contend for another NBA championship.

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