In one of the biggest moments of the season, LeBron James stepped up for the Lakers, both on the court and off of it.
There was no denying how important Saturday’s game was for the Lakers. They badly needed a win for a number of reasons and everyone was aware of it.
Among those include LeBron James, who has made a career of performing in high-pressure moments. Not only did he step up on the court with his best game since returning from his groin strain to help lead the purple and gold to a win, he also was doing so off the court as well.
When the Lakers were facing in-game pressure, LeBron, who is aware of what it takes to succeed in such moments, made sure to hold everyone accountable.
“[LeBron] was an incredible leader tonight,” head coach JJ Redick said. “It was early, it was throughout the game. When we got down, I challenged the group in the timeout and he was as vocal as he’s been since he got back from injury and that galvanized the group. It was about communication and what he said, I think if he doesn’t say what he said in the timeout, we probably don’t win the game.”
It might seem like something small to have LeBron speak up in the huddle, but it’s as much about the act of doing it as it was the message was communicating. Seeing LeBron so focused and passionate about the game is going to grab the attention of his teammates, as Austin Reaves mentioned postgame.
“First time I’ve heard him yell in a while,” Reaves said. “It was refreshing, to be honest. I loved it. I don’t remember exactly what he said. It just shows how much he cares. His attention to detail is probably the standard. If all of us can lock into that every single possession, you can create something special.”
After pacing himself throughout the season, now is the time to kick it into another gear. This is the moment that LeBron has been making sure he is ready for.
He is surely aware of that as well and he knows what sort of message is sent when he’s as locked in and commanding as he was on Saturday. This is the time of the year when everything is on the line and the Lakers need victories.
With LeBron locked in, it’s time to see if the rest of his team follows suit to close the regular season and head into the playoffs.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.