LeBron James might be ‘GOAT’ but here’s how he is costing the Lakers

LeBron James has done enough in his NBA career to be in the GOAT conversation. Those 21 seasons of excellence have been an epitome of what a great player could do. This season, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was pushing those levels even higher, until his recent performances brought up important questions.

Early in the season the 39-year-old dropped four straight triple doubles to help his team to wins. At that time, fans felt they are witnessing history in the making. However, as fans kept their eyes on those triple-double numbers, another number on his stat sheet started to stick out.

Turnovers have become an increasingly problematic area for LeBron James. His five turnovers in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was the first time everyone saw how they could wreck a game. However, they are not the only way the Akron native is slowing the Los Angeles Lakers down.

Other factors have also come in play as the franchise lost four of their last five games. To make matters worse, their few wins since that NBA Cup defense started have come against struggling teams. All of this has become a head scratching moment for first year head coach JJ Redick as he tries to stem the tide.

1. Going back to those turnovers

Throughout his previous 21 seasons, LeBron James has averaged around 3.5 turnovers per game. That is because he tries to find open teammates all throughout the game. However, that also leads to turnovers as he keeps trying to thread the needle.

Ever since their NBA Cup defense started on Nov 15th, those turnovers have been on the up where the superstar has averaged a staggering 5.25 per game. It is not as if they are the sole reason the Lakers are losing, but they do have an impact on the final score. His passing is no doubt excellent, but good teams, such as the Thunder, create points off those turnovers with ease.

The problem with James creating those turnovers is that as a leader, it tends to rub off on his teammates. It is unlike WNBA turnover machine Caitlin Clark, who is the sole playmaker for her team. Here, when James is not handling the ball, the likes of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell also get into the act.

When they too start attempting what their senior teammate does, the turnovers, and more importantly the points off turnovers, start piling up. The Lakers had nearly double the turnovers as the Thunder, and they lost by 8. The math checks out, meaning James has to take care of the ball if his team collectively are to play better.

2. Is LeBron James showing signs of slowing down?

LeBron James is known for his dedication to conditioning and the amount of time and money he spends to be fit. That has helped him keep Father Time away as he nears 40. However, everyone has a breaking point and in these past five games, the superstar has shown signs of slowing down.

It is not due to his inability to handle fatigue, rather, he is playing way beyond the number of minutes he should. On one hand, his Paris Olympics teammate Steph Curry tries to keep it under 30 minutes a game. But James plays more than that as he feels his scoring and playmaking can win them games.

That puts additional pressure on him and his drives to the basket tend to sap a lot of energy as the game progresses. It all points to the fact that the father of three needs some rest. If he does take it, which will be a tough ask for the competitive mind in him, JJ Redick needs to do something about his minutes.

3. Over reliance on a soon to be 40-year-old LeBron James

To restrict minutes, the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers have to thrive. But if these past few games have shown anything, it is that those players simply cannot be trusted to take over the offensive load. Disastrously, the most important player of them all, Anthony Davis, has returned to his on-off mode again.

Add to that the inconsistency from the remaining squad, and opponents are having it easy. If the Los Angeles Lakers are to win games consistently, they have to rethink the way they play. JJ Redick has to sit his podcast partner down for a few games and let the rest of the team figure their way out.

Else, they are risking both their short, as well as long term future. On one hand, playing LeBron James every now and then might be good as an additional scorer, but his turnovers and fatigue will be detrimental in the playoffs.

Redick has to cross the fine line and talk the four-time league MVP out of his insistence on playing every night. It is hard for elite athletes to accept changes, but somewhere down the line, James too has to understand that it is better to conserve his energy for the playoffs.

It will also help the Lakers if JJ Redick can build another player or two up as the primary playmakers. While doing so, he also needs to drill in the concept of taking care of the ball. Taking the pressure off LeBron James is the best way to stem this tide. For that, if needed, he needs to be tough with James.

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