LeBron James entered the 2025-26 season facing questions about everything ranging from retirement to how he fits with the Los Angeles Lakers. As the 2026 NBA Playoffs near, however, James has made it perfectly clear that he's willing to sacrifice and play as the Lakers' third option.
In the process, James has given the Lakers an edge against potential postseason competition that can't be downplayed: An unrivaled level of talent, production, and experience from a third star.
For one, James has helped make the Lakers the only team in the NBA with at least three players averaging a minimum of 20.0 points per game. What makes them even more fascinating is that each of those three players is also averaging at least 5.6 assists per game.
The Lakers thus join the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors as the only two teams in the NBA with at least three players averaging a minimum of 5.0 assists per game.
Boston's trio of Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White combines to average 62.6 points and 15.9 assists per game. Toronto's group of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Jamal Shead average a combined 42.0 points and 17.1 assists per game.
The Lakers' trio of Luka Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves, meanwhile, checks in at 78.8 points and 20.8 assists per game—comfortably clearing Boston and Toronto in both statistics.
No team has a third option that can do what LeBron James does
Beyond his averages of 20.9 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 three-point field goals made per game, James is a third option with a truly unique perspective. He's a four-time NBA champion who has played more playoff games than any player in NBA history.
Even if one were to isolate the past three postseason appearances to acknowledge his age and the wear and tear on his body, he's averaged 25.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 6.8 assists during that time.
In other words: The Lakers have a third option who can take over a game, stuff the stat sheet, and give them a fighting chance against just about anyone. And yet, the most appealing element of James' current role is that Los Angeles shouldn't need him to do that very often.
Instead, one of the most decorated players in NBA history will be able to plug in the proverbial holes and pick his spots in terms of when he wants to be assertive.
That's a remarkable advantage for a Lakers team that's already third in the Western Conference. It becomes even more enticing to imagine the potential Los Angeles has in a postseason setting when factoring in Doncic, who led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals as recently as 2024.
Other teams will clearly have strengths that give the Lakers trouble, but James is the ultimate third option as a player whom no team can hope to match with their own.