Steve Nash praises LeBron James for adapting his game alongside Luka Doncic
But offensively, the Lakers got the hang of it. Doncic became their main facilitator in their halfcourt offense, while James played off the ball as much as he ever has, which allowed him to conserve his energy and even play some high-level defense.
It was a good enough setup to take the team to the third seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record, even though it lost in five games in the first round of the playoffs due to its lack of supporting talent.
It is never easy for a superstar to adjust when he joins forces with another superstar. But Steve Nash pointed out how well James adapted to the situation, and Nash praised him for making the necessary adjustments during a recent episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast.
'One thing I'd also like to say that I really admire about LeBron is the way he adapted this season to playing with Luka. That takes a lot of maturity. It takes a lot of sacrifice. He approached this as a gift and an opportunity to make a team as good as it could possibly be. Now it was slammed together quick, they lost early in the playoffs, but I think we saw the seeds of a team that was this close to going deep in the playoffs, making a run for a title. As that roster builds, the possibility is there. You can't do that unless you're willing to sacrifice and grow and play slightly different. Play in a way that complements your teammates. So my advice would be those two things. Continue to find that sacrifice — it's not like his numbers dipped, he just did it in different ways. But that's hard for players who have played 15, 18, 20, 22? 22 years in the league.'
Although James' assists totals fell a bit after Doncic's arrival, his scoring and shooting efficiency didn't. He has long had the ability to post up and shoot the fadeaway jumper, and those are skills he will need to exploit a lot more often moving forward.
There is no question that the Lakers are now Doncic's team. But despite all the noise about James being unhappy with the direction of the team, he is reportedly expected to remain a member of it moving forward as the 2025-26 season approaches, and he could even stay put past this coming season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Steve Nash praises LeBron for adapting his game alongside Luka Doncic
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