LeBron James Explains Why He's 'Swiss Army Knife' For Lakers Alongside Luka, Reaves

LeBron James has had no problems fitting with the Los Angeles Lakers offense in his three games since returning to the lineup.

On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast (starts at 8:38 mark), James described himself as a "Swiss Army Knife" with this group featuring Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves:

"It goes without saying, I'm a Swiss Army Knife. So, if that's spotting up, waiting to get the ball from Luka or AR. If that's setting pick-and-rolls in transition. If we want to slow the game down in the halfcourt and get some post-up action and be able to create triggers, whatever the case may be. I think what JJ (Redick) and the coaching staff have done so far, we're playing exceptional basketball. So many injuries so far. Obviously, me being one of the injuries we had, but whatever demographic—however the pie shapes itself on offensively how we want to play and how they want me to play, to implement myself into the role of the team—all I care about is winning."

The Lakers have won five straight overall, with each of their last three victories coming since James returned after he missed 14 games due to sciatica.

James has not been utilized in the offense like we are accustomed to seeing. His usage rate is currently 22.9 percent, which would be by far the lowest of his career over a full season. His previous low mark was 28.2 percent during his rookie season in 2003-04.

The future Hall of Famer is also averaging career-lows in points (17.7), field-goal attempts (13.3) and rebounds (5.0) this season. His 8.7 assists per game is on pace to be his highest total since 2019-20 when he led the NBA with 10.2 per contest.

Some of these numbers can be explained by a small sample size and that James is still working his way back into peak form after missing nearly four weeks due to the injury. It does also speak to the fact that the Lakers have to run primarily through Dončić because he's their best playmaker at this point.

Dončić is also 14 years younger than James and more than capable of running an elite offense. His presence allows the Lakers to ease a lot of the physical burden on James, allowing him to stay fresh as the season rolls on.

It also makes it easier for James to settle into more of a secondary role than he has ever had in his career when the Lakers are winning like they have so far. Their 13-4 record is tied with the Denver Nuggets for second in the Western Conference.