NBA scout: LeBron’s defense is getting worse, forcing Lakers to play 4-on-5

There was a point in Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James’ NBA career when he was unquestionably one of the league’s better defenders. After all, during a nine-season span from the 2008-09 season through the 2016-17 campaign, he received votes in the Defensive Player of the Year race every year, finishing as high as second (twice).

However, the days of James being an elite defensive player appear to be behind him. He’s really struggled on the less glamorous end of the floor in recent years, including his ongoing 23rd season. One NBA scout put his defensive play into perspective, arguing that his defense is getting worse and often forcing the Lakers to essentially play a man down on that end of the floor.

“His defense is getting worse and worse,” the scout said, per RG.org. “They’re playing 4-on-5 almost all of the time when he’s out there. It’s hard to say who is worse defensively – LeBron, Austin [Reaves] or Luka [Doncic].”

At this stage of James’ career, he may lack the burst, athleticism and/or endurance to spend a ton of his energy on the defensive end of the floor.

But as the scout noted, James is far from the only Lakers star who’s left a lot to be desired on defense. Unfortunately, for all the offensive talent that Los Angeles’ starting backcourt has, Reaves and Doncic make for a porous duo on defense. Unlike James, neither Reaves nor Doncic have ever been particularly effective on defense at the NBA level.

James’ defensive effectiveness also isn’t the only area he’s underperformed in this season, as the 41-year-old’s scoring numbers are down. He’s a former scoring champion and remains the league’s all-time leading scorer, but his current scoring average of 20.3 points per contest marks a career-low.

It’s been an unusual start to the campaign for James, but maybe he just needs some time to get back in a rhythm on both ends of the floor. After all, a sciatica injury ensured that he didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 18. Hopefully, people won’t be criticizing him for his play on defense later on in the season because he’ll look a whole lot better overall.