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JJ Redick reveals Lakers' LeBron James plan for deep NBA Playoffs run
TL;DR
The Lakers are adjusting their strategy for the NBA Playoffs by reducing LeBron James' ballhandling responsibilities due to injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Coach JJ Redick plans to rely heavily on James despite his age and the increased demands on him.
JJ Redick reveals Lakers' LeBron James plan for deep NBA Playoffs run originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The injury bug has bitten the Los Angeles Lakers quite hard. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out indefinitely as the NBA Playoffs loom. So, Coach JJ Redick plans on hinging a lot of his schemes on one man: LeBron James. While this was to be expected of the legend, he is 41 years old and will likely have a harder time in the postseason as compared to previous years. So, how will the coaching staff be able to keep him from going down?
Redick unveils James plan for deep Lakers NBA Playoffs run
Look, it is fairly obvious that LeBron James can still be an all-around player. The Lakers have turned to him when they have needs in facilitating, scoring, defending, or in just keeping everyone in line. Now, he will have to do a lot more of those things because Coach JJ Redick does not have the luxury of having Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on his squad.
However, the Lakers head coach did admit one big adjustment that they will be making in the NBA Playoffs. James will have less ballhandling duties, via Dan Woike of The Athletic.
"That’s what we’ve had to do for 82 games for the last two years, so it’s not any different. We’re mindful. I do think we have other options other than just him having the ball and going against a set defense every single possession. We’ll look to mix in different actions depending on their lineups and their coverages," the Lakers head coach said about James.
James was able to power through when Doncic and Reaves went down. He even won Western Conference Player of the Week. But, the NBA Playoffs are a different beast. Teams get to pull apart Redick's schemes and target the aging James as a ballhandler. On the flip side, there are some positives to this.
James has been insanely careful when he is the primary ballhandler for the Lakers. In fact, he is having a career-best season in not committing turnovers. The Lakers legend only averages three turnovers per game which ties his career-bests back in 2008-09 and 2012-13. This happens all while he averages a whopping 7.2 assists per game.
Sharing the load with other guards like Marcus Smart, Bronny James, Jake LaRavia, and Luke Kennard would mean that he gets to keep that efficiency up for a longer span of time without getting tired.
The Lakers need everything in their arsenal to work out if they plan on making it out of the NBA Playoffs as victors.
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Q&A
What is the Lakers' plan for LeBron James in the NBA Playoffs?
The Lakers plan to reduce LeBron James' ballhandling duties to manage his workload as they rely on him more due to injuries to other key players.
Who are the injured players affecting the Lakers' playoff strategy?
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the injured players impacting the Lakers' strategy as they prepare for the NBA Playoffs.
How old is LeBron James and how might it affect his performance in the playoffs?
LeBron James is 41 years old, and while he remains a versatile player, his age may make it more challenging for him to handle the increased demands during the postseason.
