LeBron James embodied every Los Angeles Lakers fan when he found out he was going to carry the team’s offense by himself.
The Lakers veteran went from third option to first option in a matter of days over the weekend. First, Luka Doncic was diagnosed with a serious hamstring injury on Friday expected to keep him out indefinitely. Less than 24 hours later, Reaves was ruled out for at least a month with a grade 2 oblique injury.
James had an exasperated reaction to the news, just like every Purple and Gold fan who received the updates on social media.
“It was a shot to the heart, obviously, and the chest and the mainframe with Luka, we got that news kind of quick. [Austin Reaves] was dealing with the pain, we knew he was going to get an MRI.”
“Woke up from my nap yesterday, saw that news, and was like, ‘S–t,'” James told reporters.
James turned back the clock on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, posting a usage rate akin to his days with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 30 points on 12/22 shooting to go along with a season-high 15 assists to orchestrate the Lakers’ offense during their road contest at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Role players Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes combined for 44 points with LeBron as the floor general. But it wasn’t enough in a 134-128 loss to the Mavericks.
Even at 41 years old, James can still put up numbers with the best of them. For how long he can do it without breaking down himself is the bigger question.
