The Los Angeles Lakers are closing out the regular season, but soon enough, LeBron James and company will be preparing for the NBA Playoffs. They’re still waiting to learn who their playoff matchup will be against, but the Lakers are already locked into the third seed in the NBA’s Western Conference playoff race.
Yet, while the Lakers strengthened their roster ahead of the trade deadline by pulling off the blockbuster for Luka Doncic, NBA scouts still have concerns. In fact, those concerns are centered on James, the face of the franchise.
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Scouts believe LeBron James is a defensive liability
After reaching the 50-win barrier for the first time since their NBA Finals win in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers have to be feeling pretty confident about their team ahead of the playoffs. Sure, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets have better records, but the Lakers won’t have to face them in the first or second playoff series.
However, that doesn’t mean the Lakers couldn’t face a threat from other playoff teams.
One anonymous NBA scout who spoke to ESPN even sees a situation where LeBron James could become a defensive liability.
“The thing with LeBron is he’s not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup. With the right personnel he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He’s amazing, taking nothing from him, but it’s a worry.”
Anonymous NBA scout on Los Angeles Lakers
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If this unknown scout sees it, chances are other teams are aware of LeBron’s potential weakness too. Teams could certainly go right at LeBron, hoping he’ll avoid getting himself in foul trouble.
Yet, once the game is on the line, if LeBron still has a few fouls to work with, we could see his attitude and approach change. Will LeBron’s defense become so much of a problem that it impacts the Lakers’ ability to win playoff matchups? Considering he’s one of the greatest players of all time, we expect LeBron to be prepared for any situation thrown his way.
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