LeBron James has accumulated otherworldly statistics by virtue of both his greatness and the unrivaled workload he's routinely shouldered. Now 41 years of age, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a conscious effort to alleviate pressure from the NBA's all-time leading scorer and grant a longtime wish.
James previously spoke about the importance of depth in the modern NBA, and while the Lakers still have holes to fill, they've clearly taken his comments to heart.
The Lakers have made drastic improvements to the roster since an uneventful 2024 offseason left fans pondering how serious the team was about contending. The front office not only traded for Luka Doncic, but was active in free agency and has even begun to value the NBA Draft.
It's a welcome change that falls in line with a 2024 episode of the Mind the Game podcast, during which James spoke about how contending requires teams to have a depth chart that consists of players who star in their respective roles.
"These top four teams...have a bunch of guys who star in their role. And they do ite very single night. They are great at what they do. And if there are teams out here looking to see how to be successful, obviously you've got to have a star. Maybe two. That's going to make sure everybody makes even keel. But at the end of the day, you've got to have those soldiers around."
Fast forward to the 2025-26 season and the Lakers, while not necessarily elite in regard to depth, have created a roster that checks the box James described and has taken pressure off of him.
Lakers players star in their roles, allow LeBron James to pace himself
The Lakers entered James' 2025-26 regular season debut at 10-4 and proceeded to improve to 11-4 by winning a game during which he attempted just seven shots. Though they'll rarely ask him to shoot so infrequently, it was a preview of what's become a new level of pressure for the four-time MVP.
Rather than having to run the show in order to have a shot at victory, James has been able to settle into a less demanding role due to the quality of the roster around him.
James has attempted 20 field goals just once all season. For that matter, he's exceeded 15 field goal attempts in just eight of his 15 appearances, meaning there's effectively a 50-50 chance that he'll need to shoot with star-caliber volume.
Los Angeles is a better team when he shoots more, of course, at 7-2 when he attempts at least 15 shots, but it's still a .500 club at 4-4 when he doesn't.
That's a drastic change from the type of burden James carried for the better part of his record-setting 23-year career. He's long been tasked with running the offense as a facilitator, leading his team in scoring and field goal attempts, and even spacing the floor in catch-and-shoot scenarios.
Those days appear long gone, even with breakout star Austin Reaves sidelined by an calf injury and a void seemingly opening up for a high-volume contributor.
Rather than overburdening James, the Lakers have leaned on their supporting cast. Jake LaRavia has produced back-to-back 20-point games, Nick Smith added one of his own, and the likes of Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Marcus Smart, and Jarred Vanderbilt have all helped anchor recent success during a stretch of three wins in four games.
The Lakers still have improvements to make if they hope to reach the upper echelon of NBA contenders, but they've granted James' wish by adding players who star in their roles.