LeBron James Latest News & Update: Is the Los Angeles Lakers Turning Into the Cleveland Cavaliers?

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers recently suffered an embarrassing loss against the Denver Nuggets as their match ended with a score of 117-85. LeBron even showed his frustration on the fourth quarter when he kicked the ball out of bounds after Jamal Murray drained a three-point shot.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson said that they don’t want to rely everything on LeBron James as they didn’t want to end up in a situation similar to what the Cleveland Cavaliers went through. Magic said that they’re trying to lighten the load for LeBron in order to not overplay him, ESPN reported.

"We are trying to make sure that we watch his minutes but also that we don't run everything through [LeBron James] because now it is Cleveland all over again and we don't want that," Johnson said. "We want to get up and down."

However, with Rajan Rondo injured, the role of facilitator has once again fallen to LeBron James. While Brandon Ingram got what it takes to also make plays for his own and for his teammates, it was clear that it wasn’t enough to support LeBron. At least, during their match with the Nuggets.

Another glaring fact that has surfaced during the Lakers and Nuggets game is the lack of capable shooters outside the arc. Kyle Kuzma was one for seven on the three-point line and the entire team was a disheartening five for 32. But LeBron James wasn’t perfect either.

While the ex-Cavaliers superstar is averaging 29.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in their last seven games, LeBron James only had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists against the Nuggets. Of course, the Nugget’s spectacular defense had a lot to do on that regard as well.

There’s also the rumor going around that LeBron James is ignoring the plays coach Luke Walton has drawn up and is instead employing his own playstyle. While this is only a rumor, LeBron does have a reputation of taking the game into his own hands. Magic responded to the accusation and said that it wasn’t true, adding that if they simply watch the Lakers’ game closely, a lot of plays are being made on the court.

“We have a system that the ball moves around, a lot of pick-and-roll plays. If you watch us play, the ball is not in LeBron James’ hands all of the time. It can’t be, because you want to pass it around, you want to get into your pick-and-roll plays,” Magic said.