Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after a play against the Utah Jazz.
Heading into his age 35 season, LeBron James is still one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons. Averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game last season in an offense not suited to his strengths, LeBron was a dominant offensive force that had the Lakers at one point as high as fourth in the Western Conference before injuries decimated the roster.
With former coach Luke Walton gone and almost an entirely new cast of supporting members alongside him – including a superstar running mate in Anthony Davis – this version of the Lakers seems more suited to James’ strengths as one of the league’s greatest drive and kick players of all time.
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Lakers Coach Frank Vogel Gives Insight Into LeBron James’ Role
New head coach Frank Vogel spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix on not only the general style of play he intends to implement on the offensive end but specifically how he plans to alter things in order to make life easier on LeBron James.
“The style of play is an important piece of this,” Vogel said. “I actually did not disagree with a lot of the things that Luke Walton did stylistically in terms of playing with pace, really attacking the basket and being one of the leading free throws shooting teams. And they worked hard on the defensive end. But to me it was about putting LeBron James in positions to try to play with space the way Giannis Antetokounmpo did with Brook Lopez being added as a three-point shooter, with what Kawhi Leonard was able to have in Toronto with Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka at the center position.”
Antetokounmpo experienced a breakout MVP year behind the Bucks’ heavy emphasis on spacing while Kawhi Leonard had a herculean performance in the postseason en route to a Finals MVP. While both are younger than James, LeBron is a far superior playmaker to either at this point in their respective careers and still has the physical skillset to dominate defenders one on one and finish at the rim – something Vogel is well aware of.
The Lakers lacked proper floor spacing last season and although James still put up strong numbers, the offense looked clunky at times. With a more fluid offense (read: more shooters) surrounding James and an elite finishing talent in Anthony Davis, James should have more room to operate and a more reliable group of scorers to dump the ball off to when he inevitably commands help defense.
Frank Vogel’s History With LeBron James
Vogel and James have a history stretching back a number of years to Vogel’s time as head coach of the Pacers. Vogel’s run with the Pacers coincided with James’ dominant run in the Eastern Conference as his teams lost to James and the Heat in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Vogel’s Pacers teams often pushed James’ Heat teams to the limit and despite a decent talent discrepancy, defended well as a unit and kept games relatively close.
Vogel clearly has James’ respect – James has been present and vocal in his support of his new coach from day one. While he may not have been the Lakers’ first choice for head coach, he certainly seems to be more than prepared to take on the daunting task of running the Los Angeles Lakers.