Would The Lakers Be Better Bringing LeBron James Off The Bench?

At the age of 41 and the start of his record-breaking 23rd season, LeBron James still seems to have enough left in the gas tank to be an impactful player in the NBA. However, one wild idea that makes sense is for the Lakers to bring James off the bench, something he has done only twice in his professional career. Pigs will likely fly before this happens, but the thought does have some merit. 

While by no means trying to diminish his legacy, one that is arguably the greatest in basketball history, it’s about maximizing what he does best while managing his workload for a deep playoff run and potentially lengthening his career even more. While he has significantly outlasted Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson in career longevity, both stars clung to their starting roles and ended their careers on a whimper. Meanwhile, on the flip side, Vince Carter extended his career far beyond most expectations, and Derrick Rose managed to be effective as both came off the bench as a spark for their respective teams in the twilight of their careers.

Starting with the second unit would let James be the clear alpha on a Lakers team that has clearly handed the keys to Luka Doncic. Running pick and rolls and orchestrating the offense against opposing backup defenders would allow James to be the alpha and dominate his defenders. Feasting against opposing benches, James would be able to average 20+ points in fewer minutes and stay fresher a lot longer.

With Doncic and Austin Reaves showing a strong bond to lead the Lakers to a 10–4 start this season while James sat with sciatica, bringing James off the bench would allow for elite playmaking in waves. Entering the game midway through the first quarter, while overlapping either or both of Doncic and Reaves for a devastating attack, would certainly be an offensive strategy that few teams could counter.

As the Robin to both Doncic’s Batman with the starting five and to James with the second unit, Reaves is the ideal connector with his off-ball skills in either lineup.

Rather than grinding through the early minutes of the first quarter against elite defenders, this option would still allow James to close out any important games, providing him with the rest he needs heading into crunch time and a potentially long season. 

Beyond just managing LeBron's minutes, this move genuinely improves the team's structure. The Lakers have struggled with stagnant bench offense for years; adding a Hall of Famer to that unit instantly transforms it from a liability into a weapon. The starting lineup gets younger, faster, and more defensively versatile without LeBron, while the second unit becomes significantly stronger. It also solves the closing lineup puzzle: you can stagger LeBron and Luka's minutes throughout the game, then unleash both in the fourth quarter when it matters most.

Asking James to check his ego would be a monumental challenge for coach JJ Redick, but it may ultimately allow the Lakers to successfully pursue the much-sought-after 18th NBA championship banner.