The Lakers have been in a kind of shambles since LeBron James’ return from injury. They have lost five of their last 10 matchups, making it up with a victory against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Lakers head coach JJ Redick understands the shortcomings of his team and admits that LeBron is not fitting in the system after his return.
While many may view Redick’s statement as a potential drama brewing in Hollywood, former NBA player Chandler Parsons does not think so. In fact, he believes that James, being the veteran that he is, has more influence on the players than the coach himself. On the “Run It Back” show, Parsons remarked:
“LeBron has that clout. He’s got the respect…He probably has more ear of the players than JJ Redick does at this point of his career.”
Parsons then pointed out how the locker room dynamic inherently favors James’ influence over Redick’s strategic direction.
“His words almost carry more weight than the coaching staff and I feel like that’s normal when you have that sort of respect around the league and the locker room,” he added.
To highlight this, Parsons noted how Redick often tries to find strategies to fit in James’ way of playing. This was evident from how Redick kept playing a struggling James in a blowout loss against the Phoenix Suns, just to keep his 10-plus point streak alive. This might be the reason that Parsons equates James’ presence with stunting the Lakers’ offense.
In the end, considering the experience and legacy that James carries, players might be more susceptible to listening to James as compared to Redick. This creates a leadership vacuum for Redick, whose calls often meet resistance or indifference from a veteran-influenced roster.
Parsons implies that as long as the team’s identity is tied to LeBron James, Redick’s impact will remain limited to whatever the star player allows.
Paul Pierce Blames LeBron James for the Lakers’ Recent Woes
The Lakers had a decent 20-10 record to start the season, as they exceeded expectations. However, they have recently faced some tough sledding with several lopsided losses. This instability prompted Celtics legend Paul Pierce to throw some fire at Lakers superstar LeBron James and the team on his “No Fouls Given” podcast.
Pierce started by giving a backhanded compliment to James, saying he is “somewhat still athletic,” while also arguing that James’ return from a 15-game absence was a cause for the Lakers’ hindrance. Speaking of James’ recent return to the roster, Pierce said:
“It’s not a good mix…This ain’t gonna look right with Bron standing in the corner or just out on the wing looking for the ball.”
If we look at the Lakers’ record since LeBron James’ return (9-5), it almost looks identical to their record without him (11-5). Despite all the criticism, James still looks strong in his year No. 23, averaging over 20 points on 50% shooting.
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