“I’m not a PG, SG, SF, PF, C. I’m a ball player. Put me out on the floor with whoever & I’ll make things happen.” Back in 2020, LeBron James proclaimed that positions on the court don’t define his role. Before game 2 of the playoffs, Inside the NBA got into a heated argument about the Lakers’ superstar’s best position. Let’s not forget, Charles Barkley already had some reservations about the chemistry issues and on-court positional play with Luka Doncic alongside LeBron.
The argument began with a question from Kenny Smith. “I have a question for both Shaq and Chuck, real quick, what position you could would you consider LeBron James?” For context, the Lakers superstar’s tenure has seen him listed in all five positions, making him versatile and the only player in the league to do so. The Jet then answered the question by calling the Akron native the “best small forward possibly in the history of the game”. However, there is a catch as the 2x NBA champion doesn’t feel the current position of PF is suiting King James.
“Well, that is to me the reason why I don’t think that they can get past this series, possibly, or go deep…That’s not where he’s the best at.” Currently, LeBron is playing as a PF and Charles Barkley suggested why the 40-year-old can’t play in his best position. “But he can’t do where the best he is at. He got to get off the ball cause Luka don’t know how to play with the ball. So he’s got to one reason they were having some success LeBron is so great he can actually finish because Luka is not a finisher, like he’s not gonna run on the wing.”
With the addition of Luka Doncic, the playmaking for the team starts with the 26-year-old. So, there is no need for LeBron to handle the ball as an SF. That’s why King James is focusing on being a four, according to the Chuckster. But that’s when Kenny Smith argued and said that’s not the best position for the 4x NBA champion.
“His superpower, his superpower is guarding small forwards and overpowering them.” Barkley dismissed it quickly by suggesting, guarding any player, especially Naz Reid and Julius Randle from the Wolves, shouldn’t be a matchup problem for LeBron. But Smith’s argument is not wrong, as the Lakers superstar has spent as a Small Forward and has reps in that position for a maximum time of 12 seasons, excluding the current one.
Yet, Chuck suggests playing a Power Forward, where the 21x All-Star has played only 5 seasons in his career. When Smith argued it’s not his superpower, Barkley bluntly said, “it is going to have to be now.”
Charles Barkley previously had fired warning shots at the Lakers
In February, when the trade got official, many believed it was what the Purple and Gold franchise needed to win. However, Chuck was in the minority and believed that Dallas became the better team as a defensive unit. Due to frequent injuries, unfortunately, the Mavs couldn’t move past the Play-in tournament. But for the Lakers, Charles Barkley had previously hinted at the same ball-playing issues that he has suggested now.
Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
“I think they’re going to have a hard time playing together because both of them are really ball-dominant…Luka has never played, never played, without the ball…You know, he’s going to have to learn to play the wing some,” Sir Charles warned. It made sense at the time, as there was no proof of both players gelling together. At the time, their usage rate also outlined a similar problem. Luka was sitting at 31.9%(9th in the league), while LeBron isn’t far behind at 29.4% (22nd). But it changed thanks to their IQ.
Ever since the trade, the Slovenian has handled the majority of the ball, and his usage rate saw an increase. With 33.5%, only behind Paolo Banchero, among the players who played more than 25 games. On the other hand, LeBron saw a slight decrease to 28.7%, indicating they can play well together. Or a hint to Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, or other critics about him playing positionless basketball to the tee.
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