What did LeBron James say to D’Angelo Russell during a heated timeout vs Nuggets?
LeBron James has entered year 21 of his Hall of Fame NBA career. Now playing in his sixth season with the LA Lakers, James is still the captain of the squad and arguably the best player. However, he has told the media on numerous occasions that he'd eventually take a step back from the spotlight and let Anthony Davis take over the team. However, it appears that the time hasn't come yet.
During one of the timeouts in the opening night matchup between the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets, LeBron James had an exchange with D'Angelo Russell. D-Lo suggested that James should utilize the pick and roll more often against the Nuggets and in their upcoming game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. LeBron agreed with Russell and emphasized how efficient he was with that play.
"Pick and roll and then at the elbow," James said. "When I catch it at the elbow, it's not hard for me to score. I see everything."
LeBron James once again carries the Lakers in an attempt to beat the Nuggets on opening night
It was a rematch between the two Western Conference rivals as the Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season. Unfortunately for LA, Denver came out on top 119-107.
Nevertheless, it was still a strong showing by the Purple and Gold considering how they didn't make it easy for the Nuggets to win. Throughout the entire game, the Lakers kept banging at Denver's door, showing signs of making a comeback. However, Nikola Jokic's triple-double performance was too much for LA to handle.
Jokic came up with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Initially, it looked like a neck-and-neck matchup between the "Joker" and Anthony Davis as the two big men traded baskets in the first half. However, Davis only ended up with 17 points as he went cold in the second half. Eventually, LeBron picked up the pace and ended up doing most of the offensive work for the Lakers by putting up 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
While many Lakers fans are undoubtedly disappointed with the loss, we can safely say that the Purple and Gold look like a stronger unit this season. For now, LeBron James will have to take over games until their new roster can find their chemistry and gel together as the season goes by.