Paul Pierce Believes LeBron James Needs To Give Up The Ball More For The Los Angeles Lakers To Flourish

LeBron James is averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 53.0% from the field for the Los Angeles Lakers. But despite his strong performance, the team still continues to struggle.

With a record of 37-32, the Lakers are barely clinging to a playoff spot. Injuries might be partly to blame, but former Celtics star Paul Pierce has his sights set on LeBron, criticizing his playing style.

There’s no question LeBron is the Lakers’ main playmaker, running most of the offense and handling the ball the most. Bearing this in mind, Pierce suggests LeBron needs to take a backseat, allowing his teammates to flourish and the Lakers to win more.

“The truth of the matter when I watch the Lakers this year. LeBron has been great numbers-wise, but he got to take a step back, He gotta give the ball up a little more. Since the All-Star break, look at his numbers. 29, nine and seven, 50 percent from the field, 45 from three. It’s not resultin’ in wins… When LeBron sat out, who’d they beat? Milwaukee, a contender. D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) had 40. They went to Boston and got a win without LeBron,” he said on Undisputed.

Paul Pierce made a powerful point today on Undisputed. He said LeBron is now more of a ball hog stat machine who doesn’t get teammates involved enough, making them uncomfortable to shoot w/o 2nd guessing. That, said Paul, is the biggest reason the Lakers are 10th. Truth.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 19, 2024