Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after passing Michael Jordan and moving to #4 on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
As we enter day six of NBA Free Agency, Kawhi Leonard has still yet to make his decision. However, that hasn’t stopped media speculation as to how dominant the Lakers could be if they wind up landing the Klaw. Already loaded with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, James has reportedly agreed to take a backseat to both Davis and Leonard (should he come) and assume more of a facilitator role than in years past.
If the Lakers land Kawhi and LeBron steps into this heightened playmaking role, he could be utterly dominant looking to repeatedly feed the ball to two of the best offensive talents in the NBA. LeBron has never had a pick and roll partner the level of Davis nor has he had a two-way impact player the same caliber as Kawhi Leonard.
In this sort of situation, expect a ton of easy looks for Davis around the rim while Kawhi sees an unprecedented amount of wide open three-pointers along with getting the opportunity to mostly avoid double teams.
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LeBron James Will Average Double Digit Assists if Lakers Land Kawhi Leonard, Says Analyst
“I think if the Lakers get Kawhi, I would bet money LeBron, for the first time in his career, averages double-digit assists.”
— @getnickwright explains
Beyond just having a big year facilitating, NBA analyst Nick Wright went as far as to say he feels LeBron will average double-digits assists for the first time in his career if Kawhi comes to LA. While LeBron has notoriously piled up assists over his 16-year tenure, his highest single-season average was 9.1 – which he picked up in 2017-18.
Playing as a primary facilitator for Leonard and Davis, LeBron should have tons of opportunities for easy assists. Having a pair of elite players that can he can create easy looks for when he collapses a defense, LeBron could see an unprecedented amount of assists coming his way and smash his single-season record.
While his scoring output will likely take a dip, James is getting up there in age and his body is probably better suited to play a few more years if he defers the primary offensive workload to someone else. Imagining someone of LeBron’s caliber in an auxiliary role might be tough to do but his skill set and ability to drop absolute dimes could help make the Lakers the deadliest team in the league if executed properly.
Lakers Set To Open Las Vegas Summer League Play
Set to take on the Chicago Bulls in their first Vegas Summer League game, the Lakers come in with a few games under their belt after going 2-1 in the California Classic. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are starting off their Summer League play without any tune-up games. We saw the Lakers come out flat in their first game as is the case with many Summer League teams playing for their first time.
Expect the Lakers to be the more composed team in the matchup and to use that as a counter to Chicago’s superior talent level on paper.