How LeBron James set an example for South Bay Lakers players in G League practice revealed

LeBron James led by example in South Bay Lakers practice

James stepped up his recovery by training with the G League team before returning to full Lakers practice on Monday.

As you can imagine, the South Bay Lakers coaching staff and players were in awe of the 21-time NBA All-Star.

Do you think this will be LeBron James’ final season?

Guthrie revealed the message he had for the South Bay players after briefly seeing James’ remarkable work ethic up close.

“To have the greatest player of all time join your practice, first and foremost, what an opportunity for each and every one of us to be a part of it,” he said.

“To be a small part of his journey, his 23rd season, getting him back to health and getting him back to playing where he should be playing, with the Lakers, is an unbelievable experience.

“It’s something unbelievable for me, as I’m typing up my practice plan, to type in LeBron James is pretty crazy. For all of our guys, what an unbelievable experience.

“I thought the biggest thing, too, that I talked about was, ‘Look at this dude’s practice habits. Look at how he’s the first one in, how he approaches it, how his mind is completely locked in, dialed, and focused, and his prep before and after.’

“How he looks after his body is incredible. So, there is a lot to learn for our guys to take from that, in addition to the wonderful experience they had.”

Realistic expectations for LeBron James when he returns from injury

LeBron James is not only returning from injury, having also missed preseason, but he is now in his 23rd NBA season.

Lakers fans must not expect him to immediately start playing 35 minutes and scoring 25 points every game, like he normally would.

Given how well Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are playing, it would be sensible to place James on a minutes restriction for a while.

The 40-year-old could still play up to 30 minutes and score around 20 points, but it seems highly unlikely that he will overtake Reaves as the Lakers’ second option.