Lakers facing familiar LeBron James dilemma, need an Austin Reaves lifeline against Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Lakers have their hands full as they attempt to win four games against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers are in the Western Conference Semifinals, exactly where LeBron James hoped the team would be entering the season. During the offseason, James made it clear that competing for a championship remained his top priority.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
James likely did not envision this playoff run unfolding the way it has, especially with Luka Doncic sidelined and Austin Reaves only recently returning from injury. If the Lakers are going to have any chance of winning this series, they will need more offensive production from players other than James.
“The Lakers’ dilemma surrounding LeBron James is exactly that — the players surrounding LeBron, not James himself. As has been a recurring narrative throughout James’ career — for whatever reason — LeBron doesn’t have enough help right now, and there’s no solution in sight. Unless Reaves can magically reclaim midseason form over the course of the next couple of games, this might be a short series,” Lake Show Life’s Colin Keane wrote.
At this stage of his career, James carrying an entire playoff offense is no longer realistic night after night. Even at 41 years old, he is still capable of exploding for 30-plus points, but the Lakers cannot rely solely on him to outscore Oklahoma City.
Reaves is expected to bounce back after his rough shooting performance in Game 1.
“But, after shooting just 3-for-16 and coughing up a team-high four turnovers as the Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the defending champs, Reaves admitted that context is meaningless at this point of the postseason,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote.
Los Angeles could be in serious trouble if James ends up being the team’s leading scorer throughout the series. It does not have to be Reaves every night, but the Lakers need meaningful contributions from multiple players, similar to the spark Luke Kennard provided earlier in the postseason against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers still have an opportunity to steal Game 2, but it will require balanced scoring and consistent offensive support around James. If the burden continues to fall entirely on him, it could become a major problem for Los Angeles moving forward.
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