LeBron James Is Exactly the Leader the Lakers Need to Fix Their Biggest Weakness

The Los Angeles Lakers’ three-point shooting in the 2025-26 NBA season has been one of the most surprising early concerns of the year. After finishing in the top half of the league last season, the Lakers have fallen to 25th in three-point percentage, ranking among the lowest in both volume and efficiency from beyond the arc.

That lack of perimeter production has put more pressure on the playmaking of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, forcing difficult possessions and limiting the spacing that fuels the Lakers’ offensive identity. However, Los Angeles recently welcomed back the one player who can stabilize everything: LeBron James.

LeBron changes the entire offensive flow

After missing 14 games, LeBron returned and immediately transformed how the Lakers operate. His stat line—11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes—may not jump off the page, but his impact was enormous. Ball movement returned, off-ball cuts became consistent, and the offense once again looked structured rather than reactive.

With James back orchestrating, the Lakers finished with 31 assists, well above their season average of 26. More importantly, they looked like a team running deliberate offense again rather than relying solely on individual brilliance.

A new version of LeBron is perfect for this roster

James does not need to carry every possession like he once did. Instead, he is now leveraging his game IQ, physical presence, and passing vision to manipulate defenses without exhausting himself. Smaller defenders can’t handle his strength, and larger ones struggle to keep up laterally, making him nearly impossible to guard one-on-one.

When LeBron reads the floor in rhythm, defenses bend—opening the exact type of looks the Lakers have been missing.

And he’s become a reliable shooter himself

One of the most underrated developments of the last two seasons is LeBron’s transformation into a legitimate high-level three-point shooter. He has hovered around 40% from deep, including an impressive 41.6% on catch-and-shoot attempts last season.

With LeBron back in the lineup:

• The floor spacing improves,
• The playmaking responsibilities are more balanced,
• The offense becomes harder to defend,
• And teammates find cleaner looks from beyond the arc.

The flaw remains—but the solution is here

The Lakers still need to knock down more open shots from deep to reach their ceiling. But now, with LeBron helping structure and diagnose opposing defenses, the team finally has direction. His return gives Los Angeles exactly what it needed:

A playmaker who can elevate teammates, control tempo, and punish defenses from both the inside and the perimeter.

If the Lakers are going to climb back up the three-point rankings—and strengthen their path toward contention—the blueprint will begin with LeBron James leading the way.