Rockets-Lakers: How LeBron James is carrying LA without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves

When the Los Angeles Lakers misplaced Luka Dončić and Austin Reavestheir prime two scorers in the course of the common season, simply two weeks earlier than the beginning of the 2026 NBA playoffsit appeared like a deadly blow to their probabilities of not solely contending for the NBA title, however of even making it out of the opening spherical of the postseason. A 3-2 end after dropping Dončić and Reaves — with the wins coming over the Warriors minus Stephen Currythe Suns minus Devin Bookerand the Jazz minus an NBA roster — did little to dispel that notion; a matchup in opposition to a troublesome, bodily Houston Rockets workforce with a top-five protection and loads of youth and athleticism on the wing appeared like one the Lakers would not survive.

They’re doing a hell of much more than surviving, taking the primary two games of their opening-round matchup and leaving the Rockets wanting overmatched and shell-shocked heading into Game 3 back in Houston on Friday. There are loads of causes for that: Kevin Durant missing Game 1 and the Lakers haranguing him into nine turnovers in Game 2; Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart capturing a mixed 19-for-33 (57.6%) from 3-point vary through two games; Deandre Ayton holding Alperen Şengün to simply 5-for-19 shooting after they’ve been matched up; and many others

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One of the largest ones, although? LeBron Jamesit seems, nonetheless is aware of find out how to take the reins of a playoff sequence and — even at age 41 — make certain it is performed on his phrases and at his peace

“We all got to pick up our play,” James told reporters after the Lakers’ 101-94 Game 2 win. “When you’ve got two big guns out like we have, we all got to pick up our play. And that’s all it’s about. We’re all just trying to contribute, make contributions in all facets of the game, pick up our play.”

One method LeBron’s been choosing his up? By posting up.

As my colleague Tom Haberstroh famous on this week’s episode of The Big Numberby two video games of Lakers-Rockets, James has completed 16 possessions out of the submit with both a shot try or a foul drawn. According to Synergy Sports monitoring information, that is not solely extra post-ups than another participant (no person else is even in double-digits); it is greater than every non-Lakers team in the postseason field.

Left block, proper block or on the nail; Josh Okogie, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. or Aaron Holiday; backing all of them the best way right down to the rim, whipping a move to a slicing large man, or turning over both shoulder for that patented baseline fadeaway jumper. LeBron’s breaking out each device within the toolbox — I suppose “every club in the bag” is extra acceptable nowadays — seeking methods to compromise the Rockets’ protection, draw consideration away from the likes of Kennard, Smart, Hachimura, Ayton and Jason Hayesand create benefits that permit the Lakers to play on their phrases fairly than Houston’s.

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Including performs the place he is handed to a teammate who has shot the ball, the Lakers are scoring 1,053 factors per possession on these post-ups, in response to Synergy. That’s not elite effectivity; it might’ve ranked thirty ninth amongst 76 gamers who logged at the least 50 submit possessions in the course of the common season, amongst Jalen Johnson and Day’Ron Sharpe. Considering the Rockets gave up 0.94 factors per possession on post-ups and 0.99 factors per possession on pass-outs from the submit in the course of the common season, although, it ain’t half-bad. Especially whenever you think about {that a} Lakers workforce that has struggled with ball safety without Dončić and Reaves — a 19.3% turnover rate by two video games, third worst within the playoff discipline, together with 21 cough-ups of the most damaging live-ball variety — hasn’t turned it over eleven on these LeBron post-ups, getting a shot on aim or drawing a foul every time.

Thanks partly to these methodical journeys to the low submit, the Lakers have the slowest common time to shoot on offense (14.6 seconds, greater than 60% of the shot clock) within the postseason discipline, in response to Unpredictableand have decelerated the tempo of their sequence to 91.8 possessions per 48 minutes — the slowest series in Round 1 thus far. Several sequence lately have operated at a slower tempo, principally that includes groups that already performed at a snail’s tempo (Joe Mazzulla’s CelticsTom Thibodeau’s Knicks), that revolved round a low-post monster (Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid) and/or that entered the sequence as an underdog and had been adopting the underdog technique of attempting to take the air out of the ball — limiting the variety of offensive possessions their favored opponents had, and with it their skill to construct and prolong a lead.

The present iteration of the Lakers verify all three containers: twenty second in tempo in the course of the common season, constructed across the submit recreation that LeBron has worked tirelessly to hone over the past 15 yearsand but underdog heading into the series based mostly on the absence of two of their three greatest offensive weapons. Given that, it most likely should not shock us that James has approached the beginning of the sequence by hitting the brakes and dragging the sport into the submit. After all, he is been right here earlier than.

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I do not simply imply that typically and metaphorically, within the sense that over the course of 23 NBA seasons and greater than 1,900 video games, he is seen nearly each state of affairs and state of affairs {that a} participant can expertise on this league. I imply that he has, particularly, had to determine find out how to make do in a playoff sequence in opposition to a youthful, longer, extra athletic, favored opponent without his two greatest teammates.

LeBron James is turning again the clock

Harken again, if you’ll, to the lengthy, way back of June 2015. “Mad Max: Fury Road” was blowing minds on the multiplex. People had been tremendous into “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa, partly due to its inclusion in “Furious 7,” which was blowing minds on the multiplex. There was a huge FIFA corruption scandal happening, which I notice does not slim issues down all that a lot, however stick with me. And LeBron was nearing the top of his first season again in clevelandthe place he paired up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on a Cavaliers workforce that received 53 video games and went 12-2 within the Eastern playoffs en path to an NBA Finals matchup with the upstart Golden State Warriors.

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Along the best way, although, the Cavs misplaced Love to a dislocated shoulder in opposition to the Celtics, and then misplaced Irving to a fractured left kneecap in time beyond regulation of Game 1 in Oakland. The different 4 Cavs starters for the remainder of that Finals sequence: Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova.

Playing without one other shot creator, with two plodding/mauling large males, and two only-kinda-sorta-OK 3-point shooters, James surveyed the scene and noticed just one probably possible path to victory in opposition to a Warriors workforce that had extra expertise, depth, capturing and pace throughout the board. The goal: Keep Golden State from working by grinding the sport to a glacial tempo by mismatch-hunting and bulldozing his method into the submit, the place he might overpower the Warriors’ smaller defenders, draw defensive consideration and arrange shooters and cutters, or simply create alternatives for Thompson and Mozgov to generate second probabilities.

It labored…

…for a short while, at the least.

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The Cavs pressured the Warriors to play at their tempo, although; these six video games averaged just over 93 possessions per 48 minuteswhich is slower than the slowest workforce within the NBA has performed in every of the final 9 seasons. And they did that, partly, by James’ management of the sport from down low. In that sequence, together with possessions the place he handed out of the low block to a teammate who shot the ball, he averaged 9.8 post-ups per recreation, in response to Synergy. (Through two video games in opposition to Houston: 9.5 such possessions per recreation.)

Both groups scored below 100 factors within the subsequent two video games of that sequence — both of which the Cavs received — earlier than the Warriors adjusted their plan of attack, changed their starting lineup for Game 4, and ripped off three straight victories to win the first title of what could be a dynastic run.

It’s attainable the Rockets might equally wrest management of the sequence again from LeBron because the scene shifts again to Houston. There are some notable variations, although. For one factor, these Rockets (clearly) haven’t got the identical sort of capturing and offensive firepower as these Warriors, or a provide of high-end two-way gamers able to punishing LA on each ends of the court docket. For one other, LeBron may truly be getting some reinforcements earlier than too lengthy.

Wherever the sequence goes from right here, although, the Lakers — midway to 4 wins, with home-court benefit nonetheless intact — enter Game 3 firmly in management, due largely to James nonetheless having the ability to set the phrases of engagement in spite of everything these years. May the f*****y by no means stop.