I almost cried watching the Lakers game last night. Okay, that's a tad dramatic, but there was a specific moment that caused me to think deeply about the inevitability of LeBron James' career coming to an end. In the second half, LeBron switched onto Suns two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea — and was immediately beaten off the dribble for a layup.
LeBron James. Beaten off the dribble by Jamaree Bouyea. A sentence that AI could never possibly write, and one that pains me to write. It was a jarring moment to witness, and also points to a larger developing story within the Lakers: LeBron James is struggling more on defense than he ever has, at the same time that Luka Doncic looks like an average defender — which is really all the Lakers will ask for from him.
Doncic is not going to be asked to guard All-Stars or battle it out with big men in the paint. Sometimes, he'll still have a lapse on that end. That's fine. Because for a lot of his career, opposing teams have targeted him on defense and he didn't do much to stop them. Now, if nothing else, it doesn't feel like the Lakers are playing 4-on-5 with Doncic on that end. And with his otherworldly offensive production, that works!
So, Luka is playing good (enough) defense while LeBron is struggling to stay in front of guys he's never had trouble staying in front of before. Is this an encouraging development or a concerning one?
Yes.
LeBron James is struggling on defense more than he ever has
That one play last night wasn't a one-off, unfortunately. LeBron has looked a step slow on most defensive possessions this year, and the Lakers seem to be giving him defensive assignments that will allow him to conserve as much energy as possible.
Immense pain. Now, there are reasons to think we may be overreacting to this, most notably that LeBron has been dealing with back and foot injuries this year, and he could be taking things a little slowly on purpose. We'd all rather he do that against the Suns in December than against the Thunder in May, of course.
Also... we've had this panic before. Pretty much every year since LeBron turned, like, 35, has there been some reason for concern about his lateral quickness, his ability to stay in front of guys, and his general dominance on the court, only for him to ease everyone's nerves with a few straight weeks of high-level play once more.
Let us all pray this instance is no different. I don't think I could handle LeBron getting dusted by another two-way guard.