"You have to look yourself in the mirror" - LeBron James emphasizes on taking accountability as the LA Lakers complete a comeback win over New York Knicks
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has talked about the roster taking accountability for their actions after the win against the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
Speaking to Malika Andrews of ESPN, LeBron James was asked how the team plans to replicate such impressive performances moving forward. James said:
"It’s all about taking accountability for your own actions to begin. You know, if you want change you have to look yourself in the mirror and demand more out of yourself and it’ll trickle down to everybody else in the ball club."
James continued on by saying that everybody on the team has to do their job offensively and defensively.
"You know, if everybody come out and do their job, go out and play offensive and defensively the way the coach and the coaching staff wants us to play, then we give ourselves the best chance to win. We did that tonight, well, we did that in the second half."
LeBron finished the night with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 steal all while shooting the ball above 54% from the field, and less than 29% from the perimeter. He played nearly 40 minutes as well as the Lakers beat the Knicks 122-115 in an overtime win in Los Angeles.
How do the Lakers go up from here? “It’s all about taking accountability for your own actions every game… If you want change you have to look yourself in the mirror and demand more out of yourself and it’ll trick down to the rest of the ball club.” Interview with LeBron James: https://t.co/LaU2V30TUs
LeBron James and his injury struggles this season
LeBron James, over the years, has built up a reputation for being an iron man as he continues to defy age and logic with his incredible performances at the age of 37. King James was drafted into the NBA in 2003 and has been playing at the highest level for almost the last two decades.
At age 37, James is averaging 29.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting the ball better than 52% from the field and over 35% from beyond the arc. He has recorded four triple-doubles and 13 double-doubles this season for the L.A.-based franchise as they aim to compete for the championship.
LeBron James, Joel Embiid and now Giannis Antetokounmpo each have active 17+ game streaks with at least 25 points.
This is the first time in NBA history three players have had simultaneous streaks of 25+ points in 17+ straight games. https://t.co/c5hCsznjgv
The acquisition of Russell Westbrook was supposed to ease the workload on James but that has since not gone according to plan. James has ended up needing to do a lot more for the Lakers to even come close to winning a game this season. He has had to handle the scoring burden and in recent times has had to play power forward and center in the absence of Anthony Davis.
However, Father Time does seem to be catching up with James, as he has missed 17 games this season and the Lakers have lost 11 of them. Abdomen and knee issues have plagued him this term as James has to be even more careful with the way he maintains his body with all the mileage accrued over the years playing at the highest level.