LeBron James will not play in the Los Angeles Lakers' regular-season finale on Sunday, which means his 22nd NBA regular season is fully in the books. He will end it averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range.
He seems to have gained some peace of mind from the arrival of Luka Doncic, which has lifted a great deal of the burden of running L.A.'s offense off his shoulders. Being relieved of that burden has even allowed him to play a little more defense lately, something he has seldom done in recent years.
While it is certainly possible the Lakers will win this year's NBA championship, they do have some concerns on the defensive end due to their lack of size. According to one anonymous scout, another concern on that end of the floor is James.
“The thing with LeBron is he's not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup,” the scout said. “With the right personnel he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He's amazing, taking nothing from him, but it's a worry.”
An anonymous scout says LeBron could be ‘exposed’ on defense in the playoffs
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 12, 2025
“The thing with LeBron is he's not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup. With the right personnel he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He's amazing, taking nothing from… pic.twitter.com/ZnjgNLnu5p
The Lakers have a 114.0 defensive rating with James on the floor this season, but that number has improved to 108.1 without him on the court. He still has to pick and choose his spots as far as when to give it his all on the defensive end as a concession to the fact that he's 40 years of age and has an insane amount of wear and tear.
He suffered a groin strain about a month ago, and while he returned to the lineup three weeks ago, that injury likely hasn't fully healed.
At times since Doncic's arrival, the Lakers have looked like an outstanding defensive team. But they rank just 17th in defensive rating since the All-Star break, and they will certainly have to play around multiple weaknesses on that end of the court as they begin their quest for their 18th world title.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: NBA scout reveals one big concern about LeBron James in the playoffs
