While LeBron James will end his career as one of the best players in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers have clearly thrived without him on the court this season.
Specifically, when James is out, and the Lakers are led by both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, there is a clear difference in the team’s success, as they’ve gone 9-2 with the two 27-year-olds, compared to an 11-6 record when all three play together.
That was once again the case on Sunday against the New York Knicks, as while James sat with an elbow injury, Doncic and Reaves combined for 60 points and led a majority of the game against the Eastern Conference title contenders, beating them 110-97.
Amid a new injury update, along with his already uncertain status in Los Angeles after this season, the Lakers might not be as torn up about James potentially leaving in free agency this summer, as they’ve found a lot more success this year when the 41-year-old hasn’t played for the team.
Lakers Face Brutal LeBron James Reality With Net Rating And Record
As a whole, the Lakers are 26-18 when James has played this season, compared to 12-7 when he’s out. Nothing too major stands out about that record, but comparing that to the 9-2 record with just Doncic and Reaves together without James, the differences start to become a bit clearer.
When it’s just the two young backcourt stars leading the way for Los Angeles, the team has a combined +16.9 net rating, along with a 125.7 offensive rating and 108.8 defensive rating.
When James is added into the mix, the Lakers are 11-6 with just a +1.5 net rating, 115.3 offensive rating, and 113.9 defensive rating. Still solid, but a big difference compared to when he’s out.
Additionally, when it’s just James and Reaves, Los Angeles has gone 3-3 while having a -4.7 net rating and a 120.7 defensive rating. With Doncic and James, it’s a similar -3.5 net rating while the Lakers have been 14-8 in those games.
What is clear is that when James plays with either just Doncic or Reaves, the team has a negative net rating, scoring less than 118 points a game and giving up at least 120 points. The Doncic-Reaves duo is the best combination by far on both sides of the court, as the team’s defensive rating would rank second in the NBA if that trend carried out for an entire season.
When Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves play without LeBron James, the Lakers are 9–2 this season.
And the lineup data points in a similar direction.
Among all the combinations involving Luka, LeBron and Reaves,
“The fit between the two has looked natural. Luka controls the offense, while Reaves spaces the floor, attacks closeouts, and keeps the ball moving. But every time numbers like this show up, the same narrative starts getting louder,” ClutchPoints wrote in a post on X. “Still, the bigger picture for the Lakers hasn’t changed. Their ceiling isn’t about a duo. It’s about figuring out how Luka, LeBron and Reaves can all dominate together.”
There are obviously more factors at play behind these numbers, considering the three other players on the court and who the Lakers are going up against. Yet still, at 41 years old, the impact clearly isn’t the same for James at this point in his career on this current team.
LeBron James Injury Update
James sat out against the Knicks with an elbow injury he suffered in the Lakers’ Thursday game against the Denver Nuggets. While both he and JJ Redick didn’t believe it would be a major issue, he sat out on Friday against the Indiana Pacers, in a game Los Angeles won.
He was then listed as questionable on Sunday, before becoming a ‘game-time decision‘ in the lead-up to the contest against New York. James was ultimately ruled out for the game with both a left elbow contusion and right foot arthritis, as the Lakers grabbed a win over one of the top teams in the East, in what was one of their best wins of the season.
“LAL had been 4-12 against opponents with a better than .600 record coming into today before outplaying the 41-24 Knicks on both ends,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote in a post on X.
The latest James injury update signals he is listed as day-to-day with the elbow contusion and will have the chance to return to action on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s already sat out 20 games this season with a multitude of health concerns, but as seen on Sunday, it hasn’t impacted the Lakers as much as many would have expected.
Whenever he does return healthy, James will be a key piece in Los Angeles’ attempt to make a deep playoff run this year. But based on their record and ratings across the floor, the team is better without him. Amid his uncertain future with the Lakers after this season, perhaps building more around Doncic and Reaves, having freed up cap space without James’ contract to add players that fit around them, will become a net positive for the team’s future.
James remains impactful despite being the oldest player in the league, but not as much as the Lakers would have hoped next to their two younger stars.
Los Angeles is currently 39-25 and fifth in the Western Conference standings, going 6-4 in their last ten games.
Concerning LeBron James Lakers News Emerges Amid Injury Update