The return of LeBron James after a four-week absence was marked by the Lakers’ loss against the Bulls. It was a costly defeat as Los Angeles needs every win at this late stage of the season.
Former NBA player Antonio Daniels thinks that re-integrating the four-time NBA champion into the lineup could be challenging.
“I said a week ago the concern that you have with LeBron James coming back is he’s LeBron James,” Daniels said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He casts a big shadow. He casts a huge shadow.
“So, with LeBron James coming back, what that does is it takes some of that ball handling responsibility off of Austin Reaves, who’s been flourishing handling that basketball.
“Rui Hachimura didn’t even play yesterday [against the Bulls]. He didn’t even get off the bench. And he’s been playing very well for them.
“So the return of LeBron James changes things. It changes things. I remember when we played the Lakers in New Orleans, I sat down with Darvin Ham and asked him about this if this was something that he was concerned about.
“How well this team is playing right now and trying to implement LeBron back into this without there being a hiccup? Would it be seamless? That’s so much easier said than done because LeBron’s not a role player. If it’s a role player, it’s cool.
“But when you’re talking about LeBron James, what that means is there’s going to be an adjustment not just for LeBron James but by those surrounding him. And what we saw what that adjustment could look like yesterday.”
James came off the bench against the Bulls and scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 30 minutes of play.
