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Lakers’ LeBron James hit with stat-padding claim from former No. 1 pick
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- Lakers’ LeBron James hit with stat-padding claim from former No. 1 pick
The post Lakers' LeBron James hit with stat-padding claim from former No. 1 pick appeared first on ClutchPoints .
After missing the first 14 games of the season, LeBron James made his return for the 2025-26 season. The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back the superstar forward for his 23rd season in the league. James, who was sidelined due to a sciatica nerve issue , has a relatively quiet game by his standards.
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That hasn't stopped his detractors from taking potshots at the star. Case in point: former NBA first-overall pick Kwame Brown. The former NBA center claimed that James was padding his stats by hunting for assists in his first game for the Lakers this season.
James was quiet in the scoring department against the Utah Jazz . The Lakers star only had 11 points in the game and took just seven shot attempts. James left the scoring burden to the rather unlikely trio of Luka Doncic (37 points, 10 assists, five rebounds), Austin Reaves (26 points), and DeAndre Ayton (20 points, 14 rebounds).
Instead, James did the most damage as a facilitator in the game. Playing the role of conductor in his first game back , James tallied a team-high 12 assists to just one turnover. With how Doncic, Reaves, and Ayton were playing, the aging Lakers star was content to take a backseat and just pick apart the Jazz with his passing.
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While James still has the ability to take over games when needed, it's in the Lakers' best interest for the star to take a backseat. The primary reason why they traded for Doncic in the first place was for James to have another playmaker to ease the burden on him. Allowing the star to play off the ball lets James preserve his energy for the playoffs.
Related: Deandre Ayton reveals Lakers' strength amid 11-4 start to season
