New addition? After James returns, he might become the Lakers' third option, transforming into an enhanced version of Draymond Green, which is even more beneficial for the Purple and Gold squad.

On October 27th Beijing time, after Doncic exploded for 49 points, Reeves then scored 51 points. US media CBS noted,when Doncic and Reeves are performing at this level, perhaps it’s time to cut down James’s ball handling and reduce his usage rate..

James is currently recovering from sciatica, with expectations for his season debut around mid-November. Historically, he has always tended to "come back firing at full strength." Last season, he missed seven consecutive games in March and played 31 minutes with 16 shot attempts in his comeback game. Once back, James usually gets into rhythm quickly. The Lakers might not give him a gradual adaptation period but instead need to define his role ahead of time.

This is where the issue becomes complicated. James ranks sixth in NBA history for career usage rate, and in 19 of his 22 NBA seasons, he was the primary ball handler; the other three times, he deferred to Hall of Fame teammates: Dwyane Wade in 2011, Kyrie Irving in 2017, and Doncic last season.

Historically, this makes sense—when you have James on your team, why would you give the ball to someone else? But now, this Lakers team presents a solid reason to let others control the ball. First, James will turn 41 in December. Besides him, have you seen any player over 40 occupy a large share of ball possession in a successful NBA offense? The slender Doncic looks unstoppable, and Reeves closely follows. Expectations before the season started were reasonable because these two players' value is almost entirely offensive.

James’s situation is different. Because his ball-handling is so outstanding, we often overlook his strengths in other areas.He can become an "upgraded version of Draymond Green", after all, he is an elite screener and passer. He can also be a highly intimidating defender (at least for a short period). These qualities are exactly what the Lakers need more than just ball-dominant offense, and Doncic and Reeves seem to have fully taken over that domain.

Therefore,for the Lakers to perform at their best, James needs to step back somewhat on offense. But he is still James, capable of scoring 18-20 points every night—after all, stopping him from scoring is no easy task. However, his scoring methods may shift more toward fast breaks and spot-up shooting rather than initiating pick-and-roll plays. James himself somewhat agrees with this.

“I’ve spent a lot of time practicing catch-and-shoot threes,” James said on media day. “I’m thinking about how to be most effective without the ball, like creating space through movement. Obviously, Doncic and Reeves will handle most of the ball… We have many capable ball handlers, so in a team where I don’t have to hold the ball frequently, how can I stay efficient?”

Even before the Lakers acquired Doncic, Reddick had discussed this topic.

“James is one of the smartest players. I think having him set screens and finding ways for him to catch the ball in specific spots to both facilitate and score—that’s what I call 'playing without the ball,'” Reddick explained on a podcast in September 2024.

In fact, the groundwork for this role change has already begun.During his time with the Heat and Cavaliers, James rarely took catch-and-shoot threes; but after joining the Lakers, his attempts at catch-and-shoot threes increased significantly. The 2022-23 season was his peak—averaging 3.5 catch-and-shoot threes per game to complement Westbrook. In the following seasons, the number slightly dropped, but last season’s 2.9 attempts per game still represented a clear increase from before he joined the Lakers. Considering his catch-and-shoot three-point accuracy was 42% last season, if he truly embraces this adjustment, he is fully capable of excelling.

Currently, the Lakers’ offense has exceeded the team’s expectations and reached a higher level. However, their defense struggles to reach elite status, and the offensive value of these two players mostly depends on ball handling, which has clear limitations. James does not have this limitation—he can handle nearly every role but cannot do so as frequently or intensely as in his youth. Therefore, with the rise of younger teammates, James’s key this season is to calmly accept the role of "doing what teammates cannot."

Judging by scoring data, James may become the Lakers’ “third option” upon his return, but this change is precisely to give the Lakers a chance to become the top team in the Western Conference.