"That was old, vintage LeBron James" - Chris Broussard believes the King turned back the clock against the Jazz, gives a blueprint for Lakers' success without AD
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James received immense praise after putting up an incredible performance against the Utah Jazz and willing his team forward on the night.
On Fox Sports' morning show First Things First, sports media personality Chris Broussard lauded King James' performance against Donovan Mitchell and the company. Broussard said:
"That was old, vintage LeBron James. That was not just LeBron filling up the stat sheet. That was LeBron dominating the game and willing his team to victory like hes done most of his career against a good team."
King James on the night finished with 33 points, 15 of those coming in the fourth quarter along with eight rebounds and six assists while shooting the ball nearly 61% from the field and over 37% from beyond the arc. He also had two steals and continued this streak of scoring more than 25 points.
He played nearly 40 minutes on the night and the onus was on him and Russell Westbrook to come up with the goods after Anthony Davis went down with a nasty ankle injury and did not return. The Lakers went on to win the gamr 101-106.
Can LeBron James and the Lakers win without AD?
Anthony Davis went down against the Utah Jazz with what looked like a nasty ankle injury and was subject to an MRI on Thursday morning after an X-Ray revealed no fracture. He is set to be sidelined for at least two weeks and given Davis' history with injuries, it is hard not to imagine the time frame being longer.
Davis is a vital part of this Lakers roster and without him, the responsibility of leading this team will fall on the shoulders of superstars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. The latter's acquisition in the summer hasn't exactly yielded positive results, but the Lakers will be forced to call on him and James to steady the ship while Davis is out.
LeBron James records his 23rd consecutive game with 25 points or more, tying Joel Embiid for the longest such streak this season.
He also ties Elgin Baylor for the longest single-season streak of 25 points or more by a Laker. https://t.co/ZCAd7RGpuy
However, last night's game could be an indication of how the Lakers should proceed moving forward without Davis. This will involve going the small ball route and phaving James play at the five while spacing the floor with shooters. Head coach Frank Vogel has deployed this strategy on plenty of occasions this season with relative success.
The Lakers played a center-less lineup vs the Jazz in the last 5:15 of tonight.
They were down 7 points and outscored Utah 21-9 to win the game.
Where have we seen this before? https://t.co/TbKDNkLZRX
Russell Westbrook will be in charge of running the second unit and will be the primary ball handler and orchestrator of the offense with James on the bench. This would allow them to surround Westbrook with shooters and make up for this deficiency from the perimeter.
Either way, Frank Vogel has a lot to think about with Davis ruled out now if the franchise wants to make the postseason and make use of LeBron James' final years of greatness.