LeBron James on going scoreless in first half of Monday's game
LeBron James had a very rare scoreless first half in Monday's loss to the Pistons, but he said it's merely part of his new role for the Lakers.
For many years, the basketball world has been accustomed to LeBron James putting up otherworldly stats year in and year out. For over two decades, he has been the primary option on every NBA team he has played on, and before that, the same was true of every high school and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team he was ever on. In the history of the sport, no player has ever been "the man" on every team he has played on for such a long, uninterrupted stretch.
But this season, he has accepted a new role as the Los Angeles Lakers ' third scoring option, something that his critics doubted he could do. In Monday's 113-110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, James didn't score a single point in the first half. In his 23-season NBA career, it was only the third time that has happened and the first time since 2010.
But afterward, he dismissed it as simply a byproduct of his new role. “It's the role that I'm playing for the ballclub. In order for us to win ball games, it's the role that I'm playing.
And that’s just how the game was going. ” James is averaging 21 points a game, his lowest scoring average since his rookie year, as well as a career-low 15. 5 field-goal attempts.