Rich Paul insisted that no team is better without LeBron James, emphasizing that his presence commands respect and requires teammates to adjust their game.
Credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James seems to be embracing a third-player role this season, behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron James
MIN: 33.26
PTS: 21.19 (56.45%)
REB: 5.66
AS: 6.91
ST: 1.15
BL: 0.6
TO: 3.06
GM: 47
Even without LeBron, the Lakers have performed well, sparking debate over whether the team might actually be better without their 41-year-old star.
"I hate to talk about the Lakers, but you have to," LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, said on the Game Over podcast. "But you hear all the nonsense about the team being better without LeBron. I've never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James. Not this one either."
Paul pointed to the bigger adjustment happening in the Lakers' offense.
"I think it's more so about figuring it out, and sometimes it takes you longer than not because for a guy that's been on the ball so long, how do you play him off the ball?" he explained.
"You have to understand and factor in his presence," Paul added. "You've got to realize something. Most guys who step on the basketball floor with LeBron James are in awe if they're not trying to pretend like they're bigger than somebody else. If they're not putting on an act."
The Lakers won 10 of the first 14 games LeBron missed earlier this season while dealing with sciatica. They also swept a recent three-game stretch without him, including solid wins over the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Overall, the team is 17-7 in games without LeBron and 43-25 on the season, sitting third in the Western Conference. They've also won nine of their last ten games.
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