Questions of fit, chemistry, etc. that surrounded LeBron James leading up to his season debut were all immediately dismantled by the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. It's not just that James put on a clinic. The type of clinic felt personal.
The Lakers pulled away from the Utah Jazz in the second half of their Tuesday night matchup, winning the game by a comfortable final score of 140-126. James orchestrated the offense with a game-high 12 assists, only turning the ball over one time. It was the main attraction in his double-double performance (11 points) to kick of a record-breaking 23rd year in the NBA.
There were some concerned that James would upset the balance and foundation of what Los Angeles was building. The Lakers superstar thought that was a silly notion before the night, and LeBron, similarly, had a good chuckle after the game too.
James said, "I said it was yesterday's practice, post-practice, I can fit in with anybody. I don't even understand why that was even a question. What's wrong with these people out here? I can fit in right away with anybody."
LeBron James immediately fit like a glove in his Lakers debut
Rewind to Lakers training camp, the organization was just finding out that James' injury would force him to miss time. Austin Reaves, who has been teammates with LeBron for years, was not concerned about the implications of that for Los Angeles.
Reaves highlighted the basketball mind of James as something that would help him keep pace with the team even if he was not out there on the court, training with them personally. The Lakers guard was right on the money with that assessment.
Austin Reaves says LeBron James’ high basketball IQ will allow the Lakers to build conceptually during preseason even if James isn’t participating in live reps as much as he ramps up from a glute issue pic.twitter.com/XjDU6FQ6KM
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2025
James, himself, hinted at that vital component as well in his postgame comments. The all-time great discussed watching his teammates for the first 14 games, and figuring out where to position himself so he could help the group. It feels safe to say that mystery was solved.
Eyes still follow James wherever he goes on the basketball court. That was a big part of the equation mentioned by the 40-year-old when it came to how his orchestration of the offense was able to take shape against the Jazz.
One of the biggest areas that was always bound to receive a boost from LeBron was the turnover department. The Lakers had struggled with their turnover percentage without him. While there was still some erraticism overall, it was a different feeling when James was dicing up defenses.
It was just one basketball game. However, it took no on-court games for critics to create the negativity. It feels fair for James to dispel it with a single night by contrast.