3 Lakers players under extra pressure in light of Rajon Rondo injury
By Josh Wilson
Lakers that are under more pressure: LeBron James
LeBron James has effectively been the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. According to Basketball-Reference.com, James has spent 57 percent of his minutes at the one so far this year.
In his age-35 season, James is impressing the league by averaging a league-leading 10.6 assists per game. Though his scoring has dipped down to 25.7 points per game, it’s still at a high level while he seeks to set his teammates up for strong looks.
All in all, James’s role won’t change all that much without Rondo. The pair only played about 10.6 minutes together per game this season, Rondo backing James up in the point guard slot throughout most games.
The point, though, is that it may be on James to step up as the leader in the backcourt even more so without Rondo coming in to back him up each and every game. The second unit point guard will certainly be under more pressure as well, but James will start and finish games, being asked to set the stage for the second unit guard as well as clean up any messes they create.
It’s not an admirable task, but its one fit for a king, certainly. James seems motivated and hungry for competition entering the bubble, and he’s certainly up for the task.