There is no question that LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the greatest players of his generation. However, this does not necessarily bode well for all the other players on his team. James’ former teammate and recent Cavs returnee Channing Frye tried to shed some light on this anomaly in an interview with Erik García Gundersen of USA Today.
“When you play with LeBron, he does so much,” Frye said. “Whether he likes it or not, it’s just him. Everyone else fits into a role. You’re a scorer, you’re a passer, you’re a defender you’re shooter, you’re a rebounder.”
Frye implied that everybody around James is required to adjust to his game, regardless. The 35-year-old also went on to say that this is going to pose as a significant issue with James’ new team.
“That’s going to be the hardest part for the Lakers,” claimed Frye. “Who is going to sit in the corner? Who is going to be a defender? What is your defining role? With us it was easy.”
Frye appreciates how big a loss LeBron James is to the Cavs, but is not exactly crying about it.
“But now that he’s gone, all of us are going to be required to do everything,” said the 12-year veteran. “We all have to be solid passers, solid shooters, you have to watch more film, We have to be comfortable with T-Lue’s new system. I think all of that is exciting and push Kevin [Love], Tristan [Thompson] and J.R. [Smith], guys that have shown they can do great things and they’re getting the opportunity. But they’re also the same as me and they’re like ‘what does the team need from me to win?’”
The Cavs are ushering in a new era in their franchise history. The departure of James was definitely a big blow, and guys like Frye will need to step up their game in a big way if they hope to remain competitive in the league.
