Rashad McCants believes the Los Angeles Lakers are facing a possible problem on their hands when the playoffs roll around.
Entering Friday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers ranked fifth in the Western Conference with a 23-12 record. All things considered, the Lakers have played fairly well considering LeBron James missed the first month of the season and Austin Reaves is currently sidelined due to a calf injury.
What's been most impressive is that when the three-headed trio of James, Reaves, and Luka Doncic have been on the court together, they've been able to make it work. With Doncic averaging an NBA-best 33.7 points per game and Reaves breaking through with 26.6 points per game, James has played the third offensive option for the first time in his career, averaging just 21.7 points per game — the lowest of his career since his rookie season.
While James has played the third offensive role without a fuss, McCants believes that the four-time MVP playing a secondary role could be an issue in the playoffs, with the 41-year-old used to controlling the offense.
“You think about last year, and why they lost, it was simply because he didn't know whether or not he was going to take the back seat — not to Reeves, but to Luka. I think that was the butting heads of the whole situation in the playoffs, because Luka is used to a certain way of playing basketball, and so LeBron is used to a certain place. They're essentially the same player,” said McCants in a one-on-one interview with ClutchPoints.
“Now you're going into the playoffs with maybe a healthy Austin Reeves that went from averaging 19-to-20 points per game to now averaging 27-to-28 points per game, full confidence. These are all three butting heads at this point. For me, if you keep LeBron going into the playoffs, you have to have a clear-cut, defining role for him in the playoffs. That has to be something that JJ Redick, I don't think he can do.”
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Redick is in his second season coaching the Lakers. Considering he didn't have any head coaching experience prior to coaching the Lakers, the 41-year-old did fairly well, leading Los Angeles to a 50-32 record, third-best in the Western Conference. However, they were vastly outplayed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, losing in five games to them in the first round.
This season presents a whole other problem due to James playing the third offensive role for the first time in his career. McCants says that if James doesn't force a trade and remains a member of the Lakers, the new pecking order could present issues in the playoffs.
“Yes, because at some point, we know that Austin Reeves and Luka Doncic don't play defense,” said McCants of the Lakers. “We know that LeBron James can play defense when he wants to, but at this age — and he can use it — can be used as an excuse to ‘Don't demand me to to play defense.' When you have three guys on the floor not playing defense in the string of a team element, you're going to struggle in the playoffs, because we're slowing the game down. But then you have offensively, when we're in the half court, who's going to have the ball?”
During the James era — that's seven full seasons — the Lakers have advanced past the first round just twice. One of those years, they won the championship in the COVID bubble, where all games were played in Orlando.
The Lakers certainly have no shortage of offensive options, but that actually may be their kryptonite come playoff time in a Western Conference that is as competitive as ever.