"LeBron is fantastic on both sides of the ball; He sets the tone for us with his voice" - Frank Vogel discusses LeBron James' impact in rallying the LA Lakers as a leader

LeBron James drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics

Frank Vogel was all praise for LeBron James after the LA Lakers registered their 13th win of the ongoing NBA season. The four-time champion was in his zone against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. For James, being in the zone where he is impervious to any and every trick by the opponents is not a rarity or a newly found skill. He's been doing this for almost 18 seasons.

According to Mike Trudell, Frank Vogel, while discussing LeBron James' contribution to the team, had the following to say about his #6 in Tuesday's post-match interview:

Vogel: “LeBron is fantastic on both sides of the ball. He sets the tone for us with his voice. He’s our QB on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he’s barking out commands, getting guys in the right spots and knowing our schemes down to a tee better than anyone on the floor.”

Many of LeBron James' other former teammates have shared similar anecdotes about the player. In an article published by Sports Illustrated, Quinn Cook had the following to say about King James' able commands:

"He knows everybody. He could be last guy on the bench on the team, but he knows he's left-handed, he's a shooter, don't go under him, he's a driver, stuff like that. He pays attention to the game, he watches the game and he studies. He helps us get prepared just with his voice."

Is Frank Vogel right about LeBron James?

It's true that James is an apt floor general, It's also true that he remains one of the greatest scorers in the league. Take the last five games he has played, for example. LeBron James scored 30+ points in four of them and averaged an unbelievable 31 points.

Russell Westbrook on if Lakers' win over Celtics provided a blueprint on how he, LeBron & AD can play together: "The game will always tell you what to do. We have a unique team, as you guys know. We have guys that can take over a game at any point."

However, defensively, he has been good at guiding his teammates but has seemed slow and lathargic himself. He is not putting in the same effort he used to. He is not a lethal shot blocker anymore, finds it difficult to track players and is unable to put up the necessary hustle in general.

A case could be made that the reason for this loss of aggressiveness defensively is due to his injury prone season. The aging James has undoubtedly become more susceptible to injuries. He's missed 12 games so far and is yet to play in four consecutive games. His performance, although impressive, has been scattered.