As the Los Angeles Lakers (15–5) open a demanding three-game East Coast swing Thursday in Toronto, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes LeBron James is navigating the most unfamiliar chapter of his 23-year career. Speaking on The Dan Patrick Show, Windhorst described a convergence of factors that has reshaped James’ role in ways the league has never seen.
“The Luka thing happens, then he has the injuries. So this is two things we’ve never seen,” Windhorst said. “We’ve never seen him not be the 1A guy on his team. We’ve never seen him have offseason injuries before. Then his team, without him, plays really, really well. Absolutely never happened.”
The combination, Windhorst added, has placed James in uncharted waters:
“We are in completely unknown territory for him… And by the way, he rejoins the team as the number one scorer in the history of the league, where the two guys on his team are top 10 in scoring.
“I think he is absolutely in a little bit of the deep end of the pool that he’s never been in before.”
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LeBron James is Adjusting to a New Hierarchy
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This season, James has shifted into a tertiary role behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves — the latter emerging as one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers at 28.1 points per game. James’ delayed debut due to sciatica has added another layer to the transition. Through five appearances, he is averaging 15.2 points, 7.2 assists, and four rebounds, shooting 46 percent from the field.
His struggles in Monday’s 125–108 loss to Phoenix — just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting with zero rebounds — sparked the sharpest criticism yet. “He was not himself,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. “For the first time, really this season, it felt like LeBron looked his age.”
James himself acknowledged the challenge of re-entry: “I didn’t get an opportunity to practice with the guys at all … So, I’m still working my way back.”
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Lakers Road Trip That Will Shape the Narrative
With Dončić out Thursday while welcoming his second daughter, James takes on a heavier offensive load as his role continues to evolve. The Lakers will face Toronto, Boston, and Philadelphia before returning home for their NBA Cup quarterfinal.
Windhorst stressed this moment is not about imminent collapse — but rather about unfamiliarity. For the first time, the league’s all-time leading scorer must recalibrate inside a team that thrives without him, while fighting his own physical limits.
The unknowns are real. So is the opportunity for James to reshape what the twilight of a superstar career can look like.
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