Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recently revealed what he first looks at on the stat sheet when going to the bench during a game.
“A lot of people see when I come to the bench, I grab a stat sheet from one of our assistant coaches,” James said. “And the first thing I look at is my personal turnovers. And then I kinda look at the opposing team’s offensive rebounds and their fast break points. And the reason for that is those are like effort plays. Are we boxing out? Are we getting defensive rebounds? And then are we getting back in transition? But the first thing I look at is my turnovers.
“So, that’s kinda one of the one things that I kinda critique myself on when I’m having non-aggressive turnovers. If I’m being aggressive, I’m going to the hole, I try to make a skip pass to my teammate, it gets a turnover, or if I got to the hole and I get stripped or whatever, it’s a turnover, I’m okay with those. But it’s the ones that’s like unforced turnovers or just not being aggressive, not read and reacting or just not decisive ones.”
It’s interesting to hear from James what some of the most important things are to him, and it’s notable that he wants his team to play with effort on the defensive glass and in transition.
Even though James is one of the greatest players in league history, his focus on his turnovers shows that he’s always looking to improve, especially when it comes to his aggression.
The 41-year-old has been a primary playmaker on just about every team that he’s been on in the NBA, yet he only averages 3.5 turnovers per game for his 23-year career. In the 2025-26 season, James averaged 3.0 turnovers per game for Los Angeles, his lowest turnover number since the 2012-13 season (when he also averaged 3.0 turnovers per game).
It’s great to get some insight into James’ mindset during games, and his focus on being aggressive is certainly important to note. James found a way to fit in with fellow stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the 2025-26 season, taking the third role in the offense at times, yet he knew when to turn his aggression up, especially in the playoffs.
With both Reaves and Doncic sidelined to begin the postseason against the Houston Rockets, James put together some big games, leading Los Angeles to a 3-0 series lead. In 10 playoff games in the 2025-26 season, he averaged 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.
James has a major offseason ahead, as he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent. If he does return for a 24th NBA season, it’s possible that it will be with the Lakers, the team he’s been with since the 2018-19 campaign.
