Something subtle is happening with the Los Angeles Lakers, and it says a lot about where LeBron James is in the final stretch of his career.
As the Lakers prepare for one of the most difficult stretches of their season, head coach JJ Redick has already made a notable adjustment. The team has eliminated morning shootarounds on game days, a decision rooted as much in roster reality as in respect for James' workload at age 41.
"We made the decision 12-13 days ago that we weren't gonna do shootaround in the mornings anymore," Redick said. "Part of that thought process was we have a 41-year-old who shouldn't be on his feet twice a day. Let's only rev his engine once. The other part of it was just reading personnel, like what are we really getting out of shootaround based on who's on our team."
While the change applies to the entire roster, James' presence clearly drove the conversation. The Lakers currently sit inside the top five of the Western Conference, and every marginal edge matters as the schedule tightens.
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A Different Version of Greatness
The adjustment reflects a broader truth: this is not the same LeBron James, but he remains an elite one. Redick expanded on that idea following the Lakers' win over the New Orleans Pelicans, offering a vivid comparison that captures how James continues to dominate without relying solely on peak athleticism.
"I think it's just recognizing game to game what he has," Redick said. "He's Greg Maddux at the end of his career. Every night he doesn't have his best stuff, but he has enough to win. And I'm his catcher. I have to figure out how to call the pitches. Sometimes he tells me to F-off and he calls his own pitch, which is fine, too.
"To me it's that, what's the best way to utilize him tonight based on the opponent, based on the coverage, based on how he's moving. We have conversations sometimes in games… It's really just that ongoing dialogue with him. To me, what he's doing at 41, what he did last year at 40, it's greatness, it's just a different form of greatness."
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The Production Is Still There
Since turning 41 on Dec. 30, James has averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game while posting a 64.7 percent true shooting mark. Those numbers arrived after a slow early ramp-up, as he missed nearly the first month of the season recovering from sciatica.
The questions about Father Time came quickly. James answered them just as fast.The Lakers are no longer asking him to be everything, every night. Instead, they're adapting around him and that adaptation may be the clearest sign yet that Los Angeles still believes a championship run is possible.
Newsweek