LBJ Needs to Be More Kobe, Less Magic

It goes without saying that the entire dynamic of the team has changed dramatically after this wild summer of free agency. Adding arguably the league's best assist man in Westbrook means that logically, we should want the ball in his hands as the primary playmaker most of the time.

So, where does that leave another All-time great playmaker Lebron James? Well, it seems to me that this roster makes it so Lebron should assume that Kobe Bryant "Mamba" (e.g. Scoring) mentality as opposed to being a playmaker.

I see no reason why James couldn't make this simple adjustment to his game. He's already a top 3 All-time scorer and possesses one of the best scoring averages in league history.

Then I look over at the Lakers biggest threat in the east, the Brooklyn Nets and though they haven’t played very much together, those guys seemed to have some fairly well defined roles. Durant and Irving are less of playmakers and more of scorers, while Harden sacrifices a lot of scoring to be the primary ball handler, wracking up the most assists.

If the Lakers are to boast the most potent, dynamic offense possible, I envision Westbrook being in the "assist-man" role that Harden serves for Brooklyn, while James and AD will serve primarily as scorers akin to Irving and Durant.

Naturally, when Westbrook is resting on the bench, LBJ should be the primary ball handler and playmaker. That way, LeBron can pick his spots to take over those responsibilities. But anytime Westbrook is on the court, I would hope that LeBron can make that quick adjustment and go into scoring mode.

Now, I’m sure there are some of you who would argue that the reverse is the best choice and that LBJ should try to repeat has Magic-like assist season from 2020, but I don't think the numbers agree with that.

While Westbrook is no slouch in the scoring department, LBJ is a better spot up shooter than Westbrook, better 3-point shooter, and a more efficient scorer in general. The same goes for AD. Ideally, it only seems logical that we would want LeBron and/or AD taking more shots than Westbrook - a lot more.

That's my big hope and what I envision as the ideal situation for the Lakers offense. If I’m looking at the statistical averages for the Lakers big three, I think the team would benefit most by having LBJ and AD with high scoring averages (e.g. 27 to 30 ppg) and Westbrook maybe scoring 16 to 18 PPG, but leading the NBA in assists.

Don't get me wrong, I love Magic Johnson's game as much as the next Laker fan, and while Lebron's league leading 10 assists per game Magic impersonation in 2020 nearly got him an MVP, I just don’t think that style of game is what this current Lakers roster is going to need from King James in the upcoming NBA season. Westbrook can be Magic, and LBJ should score like the Mamba.

I really feel that it would be next to impossible to expect (or hope) that someone who has played one way his entire life (almost 20 seasons) to change his style at this late stage. That would be like asking kobe and Jordan to defer more or Magic to shoot more. If he alters his style, I would gladly welcome it, but I have tempered my expectations whenever Lebron appears to suggest that he would play away from the ball. That’s just not in his DNA. That’s just not who he is.

For me personally, I would prefer the ball to be in Lebron’s hands than Westbrook. I still believe going with Buddy Heild was the path they should have chosen, as it would have addressed several gaping holes from the previous season. I'm glad Westbrook is a laker now and welcome him to the laker family, but I would never trust his decision making.

Can't teach an old dog new tricks. Sounds good but we all know what's going to go down.