LeBron James Hints at Dispute with Lakers Coaching Staff

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Head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers and Lebron James #23 look on against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena on December 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Veteran forward LeBron James had a lot to say after his Los Angeles Lakers were routed, 128-106, by the Detroit Pistons on his 41st birthday on Tuesday.

Of all the things he said, the most head-turning was James’ revelation that the Lakers coaching staff has explicitly directed him to play off the ball this season.

“I haven’t really been on the ball,” James told reporters after finishing with 17 points, four assists, four rebounds and five turnovers, while shooting 6-of-17 from the field.

“I don’t know if you’ve watched our games this year, but I haven’t really been on the ball as much. I’ve been playing off the ball a lot.”

Austin Reaves Injury Factor

James admitted he could be entrusted with more ball-handling duties due to Austin Reaves’ injury, but it’s not something JJ Redick has asked him to do.

“It’s something [ball-handling] I can get back into, but you’ve gotta get back into the rhythm of that,” he stressed. “AR and Luka [Doncic] get us into our offense, Marcus [Smart] has now stepped into helping in that role.”

“If the coaches ask me to [play on-ball], then I can do that. But I’ve been playing mostly off the ball this year,” James added.

When asked if he has a personal preference, James said, “Nah. Whatever helps the team win. It don’t matter.”

LeBron James: Career-Low USG%

The numbers back up James’ claims.

Through 15 games thus far, he has a USG% of 26.1, which is the lowest mark of his illustrious 23-year career. Mind you, that percentage was significantly lower in November (22.1%), when James was trying to get acclimated to being the third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

For context, James had a USG% of 29.1 last season, 28.5 the year before and 32.2 in the 2022-23 season. When the Lakers won their last championship in 2020, he had a USG% of 30.8 in the regular season and 29.6 in the playoffs.

Another key number to note is the career-low mark of points + assists James has helped accumulate. When he’s on the floor, James is assisting on 37.4% of the baskets made by the Lakers. That number has dipped more than five percentage points since last year.

Lakers Offense Hits New Lows

It’s rather interesting that LeBron James has shed light on the role assigned to him by the Lakers coaching staff, just days after Redick’s comments about the offense being unorganized since the veteran star’s return to the team mid-November.

“Since we’ve gotten Bron back, we haven’t been as organized offensively,” Redick said earlier this week. “Too many random possessions. That’s on me. It’s those 3 things: defensive clarity, role clarity and offensive organization.”

Earlier in the season, the Lakers’ most pressing issue was their defense. In December, though, their offense has also fallen off a cliff. Through 12 games, Redick’s men averaged just 112.4 points — a significant drop from the 120.6 mark in November. Their assist numbers also dropped from 26.1 to 22.8 within a month.

The Lakers (5-7) were one of the worst teams in the league in December, ranking 22nd in WIN%, 24th in points, dead-last in assists and 26th in defensive rating. They will try to right the ship in the first game of 2026 against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan