Not even a hot take 'cause I know won’t happen, but would be brilliant: LBJ as a sixth man.

Rubios · Post #1 » by **Rubios** » Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:03 pm

I know LeBron would never buy it, but just imagine for a second that JJ convinces him to go for Sixth Man of the Year.
The team’s clicking. LeBron coming off the bench to ease the load on Luka and Reaves (and Smart, to a lesser extent), playing around 20 MPG: that would be nuts.

It’s not going to happen. But it would be awesome and, IMHO, really smart.

dballislife · Post #2 » by **dballislife** » Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:11 pm

lebron and bronny riding the bench together lol what a beautiful site that would be

Rubios · Post #3 » by **Rubios** » Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:22 pm

I'm dead serious, even not as naïve to think it has a hope in hell to happen.

LBJ reading the other team's offense/defense from the bench, along JJ. I don't see any downsides, for real.

SlimShady83 · Post #4 » by **SlimShady83** » Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:54 pm

Tell him it's something Jordan never got and this will put him ahead of Jordan in the goat debate lol

Yuri36 · Post #5 » by **Yuri36** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:16 am

Rubios wrote:I know LeBron would never buy it, but just imagine for a second that JJ convinces him to go for Sixth Man of the Year.
The team’s clicking. LeBron coming off the bench to ease the load on Luka and Reaves (and Smart, to a lesser extent), playing around 20 MPG: that would be nuts.

It’s not going to happen. But it would be awesome and, IMHO, really smart.

I think that if there is a NBA superstar in the history of the game who could buy that role (especially at 41), that's LeBron James.

You can accuse him of many things but certainly not of having been an egoist guy who plays only for himself and doesn't trust his teammates.
And I think that with Luka who's basically been his favorite player in the league over the last few years (and reciprocally, LeBron was Luka's idol), there's almost no chance you will see an egos war at some point.

I just read an interesting article (it's in French but you can easily traduct it in English if you need) about how LeBron will fit in that Lakers team when he returns and what he can bring without disrupting its chemistry:
https://trashtalk.co/2025/11/06/lakers-quel-role-pour-lebron-james-a-son-retour/

Biff · Post #6 » by **Biff** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 12:33 am

He'd play more than 20 a game but I think it's more likely they'd make AR the 6th man.

Yuri36 · Post #7 » by **Yuri36** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:01 am

Biff wrote:He'd play more than 20 a game but I think it's more likely they'd make AR the 6th man.

At this point of his career and with Luka out there, I don't think LeBron will care if he starts or not games.

What he will definitely care is if he is playing down the stretch (i.e. in the money time)

Maxthirty · Post #8 » by **Maxthirty** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:04 am

You start him and pull him early(ish) in the first. Stagger him and Luka until crunch time.

MrGoat · Post #9 » by **MrGoat** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:09 am

6MOY is actually one of the only accolades he doesn't have, that's how I would start to pitch that idea to him

Dr Aki · Post #10 » by **Dr Aki** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 1:35 am

It's not going to happen. And it's not to do with ego or whatever, but to do with getting warmed up, and then sitting and going cold.

You start him, even if you pull him a few minutes in while you stagger Luka, Reaves and LeBron until crunch time.

lambchop · Post #11 » by **lambchop** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:35 am

Has there ever been any true starter outside of Ginobili to accept a bench role? It's not simply not really a thing in the NBA.

MrGoat · Post #12 » by **MrGoat** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:37 am

lambchop wrote:Has there ever been any true starter outside of Ginobili to accept a bench role? It's not simply not really a thing in the NBA.

Jason Terry. Won 6th man of the year playing 34 minutes off the bench, third most minutes on the team. His quote about it was "I don't care if I start as long as I get to finish". Was considered the #2 option to Dirk in 2011 despite coming off the bench and was pretty much always their 2nd leading overall scorer who had nights where he could just go off

Dan33185 · Post #13 » by **Dan33185** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:41 am

lambchop wrote:Has there ever been any true starter outside of Ginobili to accept a bench role? It's not simply not really a thing in the NBA.

Naz Reid, he could probably start for about 1/3 of the teams in the league, but signed for a smaller contract than he could have gotten elsewhere and a 6th man role.

Lalouie · Post #14 » by **Lalouie** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 6:35 am

even if it was a proven statistical best option, lebron would never do it

too demeaning for him

Optms · Post #15 » by **Optms** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 6:47 am

lambchop wrote:Has there ever been any true starter outside of Ginobili to accept a bench role? It's not simply not really a thing in the NBA.

Ginoboli was never a true starter.

levon · Post #16 » by **levon** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 6:51 am

I love how Rui can never move to the bench. It has to be either AR or LeBron. Famously Kyrie came off the bench in 2016 so Iman Shumpert could start.

TheNG · Post #17 » by **TheNG** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 7:13 am

Yuri36 wrote:
Rubios wrote:I know LeBron would never buy it, but just imagine for a second that JJ convinces him to go for Sixth Man of the Year.
The team’s clicking. LeBron coming off the bench to ease the load on Luka and Reaves (and Smart, to a lesser extent), playing around 20 MPG: that would be nuts.

It’s not going to happen. But it would be awesome and, IMHO, really smart.

I think that if there is a NBA superstar in the history of the game who could buy that role (especially at 41), that's LeBron James.

You can accuse him of many things but certainly not of having been an egoist guy who plays only for himself and doesn't trust his teammates.
And I think that with Luka who's basically been his favorite player in the league over the last few years (and reciprocally, LeBron was Luka's idol), there's almost no chance you will see an egos war at some point.

I just read an interesting article (it's in French but you can easily traduct it in English if you need) about how LeBron will fit in that Lakers team when he returns and what he can bring without disrupting its chemistry:
https://trashtalk.co/2025/11/06/lakers-quel-role-pour-lebron-james-a-son-retour/

I think some people will disagree about this

makubesu · Post #18 » by **makubesu** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 7:21 am

You can’t pay that kind of money to a sixth man and expect to win..

Sixth man is a completely overrated position.

Edrees · Post #19 » by **Edrees** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 7:21 am

20 mpg is criminal underuse. I would love for him to come off the bench but more in a ginobli role where he still plays 30-33 mpg.

SNPA · Post #20 » by **SNPA** » Wed Nov 12, 2025 7:24 am

TheNG wrote:
Yuri36 wrote:
Rubios wrote:I know LeBron would never buy it, but just imagine for a second that JJ convinces him to go for Sixth Man of the Year.
The team’s clicking. LeBron coming off the bench to ease the load on Luka and Reaves (and Smart, to a lesser extent), playing around 20 MPG: that would be nuts.

It’s not going to happen. But it would be awesome and, IMHO, really smart.

I think that if there is a NBA superstar in the history of the game who could buy that role (especially at 41), that's LeBron James.

You can accuse him of many things but certainly not of having been an egoist guy who plays only for himself and doesn't trust his teammates.
And I think that with Luka who's basically been his favorite player in the league over the last few years (and reciprocally, LeBron was Luka's idol), there's almost no chance you will see an egos war at some point.

I just read an interesting article (it's in French but you can easily traduct it in English if you need) about how LeBron will fit in that Lakers team when he returns and what he can bring without disrupting its chemistry:
https://trashtalk.co/2025/11/06/lakers-quel-role-pour-lebron-james-a-son-retour/

I think some people will disagree about this

Yup.

But I sure hope they go to him and say they’d like him to come off the bench. That’d be perhaps the great week of leaks ever.