Ray Allen declared about LeBron James’ career when LeBron James first signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2018, LeBron James made a predictable move to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time. Kevin Durant and the Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors have proven too much, but he won the team’s first title in 2016 and gave the city everything he could.
His second exit had far fewer difficult feelings than his first exit.
When James first signed with LA, one of his former teammates issued a warning that turned into a prediction
“LeBron has to reinvent himself,” Ray Allen said. Dampertrick show 2018.
“When I played with him, he had a lot around him that he could do different things, so he didn’t have to carry weight all the time. Cleveland, that was a little different. He needed more shooters around him.
“Stevenson and Rondo both need the ball in their hands, so he gives more responsibility. Will he become a somewhat spot-up shooter at the same time?
Seven seasons later, James finally found the role Allen had proposed.
When James concluded his first season in Los Angeles, it was clear that a change would happen. He only played 55 games and the Lakers failed to make the playoffs. During the 2019 offseason, the Lakers traded with Anthony Davis and quickly won the title the following year.
However, James led the Lakers in usage at 31.5%. In fact, during the iteration of James and Davis in purple and gold, James used the Lakers every year.
Luka Doncic’s arrival has finally stopped it.
Allen predicted that James would become “something like a spot-up shooter.”
He’s still a very bold dominant creator, but his 33.9% mark from the deepest depths of his first season in LA has been improving for a long time, allowing James to play a more boundary-focused game, not something novel when he played for Cleveland and Miami.
The Dallas Mavericks have proven that their team can be a title contender as long as Don Sic is playing. James will play until he feels he is no longer helping his team achieve his ultimate goal, but Donsic’s arrival will only extend his success.
With Donsic in town, James is given several options. He can play on or off the ball as a passerby or scorer, he can play on the post, or he can serve as a three-point threat of catch-and-shoot. The reality is that his individual legacy doesn’t hit because he always becomes All-NBA rock until he averages less than 22 points per game.
Allen saw directly in Miami that even if there is a cast of elite players around him, James could take over if necessary. At 40 years old, his abilities have certainly diminished, but with Donsic’s arrival he is able to play a more suitable role for durability.
For years, James never felt that he had to “waive responsibility,” but now he’s playing next to a true first option tested, so he can finally enter the back end of his career.