LeBron James is ready to pass the torch for the Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be Luka Doncic’s team for years to come, with the four-time NBA champion taking a backseat. Nonetheless, James knows what it takes to get over the hump and win the whole thing, which is something that Doncic has yet to learn.
With that in mind, James sent a clear message to his younger teammates after taking down the Los Angeles Clippers, 135-118, on Tuesday: It’s all about playing defense.
LeBron James urges the Lakers to step up on defense
“In order for us to be as great as we want to be, we’ve got to defend,” James said, per Lakers Nation. “We’ve got to get multiple stops in a row. We know what we can do offensively but defensively is going to be our staple and we showcased that in the fourth.”
In the past, some have viewed Doncic as a lazy defender, but he seems to be turning the page this season.
Per Basketball Reference, the Lakers have a defensive rating of 111 when he’s on the floor, which is slightly better than the team’s overall defensive rating (114.98; 17th in the NBA). He’s also posting the second-best defensive box-plus-minus of his career (+1.7), all while averaging 1.9 steals per game, the second-highest mark of his career.
At 40 years old and in his 23rd year in the league, James might not be able to play as much defense as he used to in his prime. Everybody knows he, Doncic and Austin Reaves can put up big numbers on any given night, but while the offense wins games, the defense wins championships.
