The Los Angeles Lakers escaped with a victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday as coach Will Hardy called timeout to nix Collin Sexton's game-winner that would have put them up 106-105. Meanwhile, the severely shorthanded Lakers won without D'Angelo Russell (illness), Austin Reaves (back), and Cam Reddish (illness), forcing JJ Redick to insert Gabe Vincent into the starting group and play Max Christie significant minutes. Moreover, LeBron James also laid an egg from three-point land, going 0-9 from distance, finishing with 27 points on 12-28 shooting.
"One thing about me, if the shot is not going, I can still make plays and I still make an impact on the game," said James in his postgame interview with Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, as shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.
Lakers win despite LeBron's shooting
© Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images True enough, despite shooting 0-9 from range, LeBron James still dished out 14 assists, supporting his fellow superstar Anthony Davis, who scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Likewise, another silver lining in Bron's poor shooting is that the Lakers still managed to win the game, even if it was versus the tanking Jazz.
In seasons past, the Lakers were practically dead in the water when James struggled from the field, partly thanks to coach JJ Redick empowering Anthony Davis as the best player on the team.
Making AD into their offensive hub maximized the rest of their offensive weapons and turned the team into one of the best offenses in the entire NBA.
Likewise, Redick benching D'Lo and slotting Reaves into his natural position at point guard also balanced the rotation and added fluidity and length to their halfcourt offense, which may have finally reached its peak with Dalton Knecht's insertion into the starting group.
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So far, Redick has led the Lakers to a hot start, but the inevitable doldrums of November got to the Lakers a little bit. After winning six straight games, the Purple and Gold lost three straight (with two embarrassing blowouts), and then went 2-1 on their next set.
However, the Lakers will face three playoff teams in their next five, with a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings, who've had their number in the last seasons, despite their struggles with new signing DeMar DeRozan.
LeBron will have to pick up his shooting if the Lakers want to build on their victory on Sunday, especially if their key rotation players remain out.
If he shoots threes at a decent volume and percentage, it would open up the floor for the rest of the Lakers, particularly Anthony Davis, one of the best scorers in the NBA.
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