Los Angeles Lakers: 3 lessons learned in victory over Denver Nuggets

1. We Are Figuring Out The Responsibility of  LeBron James! 

This is not about the comparisons to Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. All of these players are different in styles mentally and physically. This was discussed by Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal.    

Look, everyone will have their own opinions, as will I. But for LeBron James, he is going to have to adjust and figure out what he needs to do for the benefit for the growth of the young players of the team. This is a tough challenge in its own right but he has to do this while dealing with the constant dynamic of the mixture of the veterans.

I was very critical of LeBron James in the first two games of the season. Why? He did not play hard and compete the way he did against the Nuggets and the two games prior. Nobody is asking this guy to carry the Lakers for 48 minutes. He does not have to. He does know he has to take over and impose his will on tight games.

This is what I stated in the games that he pulled the back to back disappearing acts to start the season against the Blazers and the Rockets…the Lakers don’t need him to score every basket. They need him to be aggressive…

"This is what the Lakers need from James. If he is the best player on the court, the last eight minutes is when he has to impose his will and lead his team to victory. He has to be as dominant or more so at THIS time in the game. This game was winnable but a scenario that Lakers fans need to watch throughout the season occurred. LeBron James played well enough to fill stat sheets, but not well enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to victory."

As the season goes forward, you will see that the Lakers decided to start the season in their minds against San Antonio.

Sure, they lost the game, but it was the first game that every player competed and played as hard as they could. That started with James. He is the leader and the highest profiled player. If he does not play hard, what example are you sending Kuzma, Ball, Ingram and Hart?

The difference between LeBron James’ effect on these games is based on the TIME the big plays occurred. For the first two games, they happened in the opening minutes of the games. But these plays, starting with the Spurs…

…how about the last game…

This is crunch time folks. This is when stars become stars. We remember the missed free throws and the jumper at the end of the Spurs game.

Was there disappointment throughout Lakers Nation? Sure. But I was thrilled and proud of James. AT LEAST HE TOOK THE SHOTS! He was willing to accept the pressure, something he shied away from in the first two games. That’s a mental thing.

The Lakers may have won with the energy of Lance Stephenson (More on him later!), but the energy was harnessed and controlled by LeBron James. He didn’t score all of the baskets because he does not need to. But the team needs his energy and confident body language to gain confidence.

Leading the team is not about scoring forty and fifty points a night. Sometimes, organizing everyone’s talents and abilities is more powerful. That is LeBron James’ gift. It’s a gift that has to be opened for the next 77 games this season. IN EVERY GAME!