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NBA: JJ Redick Explains Why Superstars LeBron James, Luka Doncic are Still Role Players

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Rex Villas | Last updated 4/19/24

LeBron James and Luka Doncic as role players? There are not a few people who would scoff at such an idea. After all, both James and Doncic are superstars — the type that are in the top tier of basketball fame.

JJ Redick would tell you the same thing, but he also recently said that every player in the league, from James to Doncic to the very last player on the bench is, in essence, a role player. It’s just that the term ‘role player’ has always been taken out of context, as though, it diminishes one’s value.

LeBron James & Luka Doncic are Still Role Players, per JJ Redick

In a recent episode of Mind The Game where LeBron’s former high school head coach Keith Dambrot, Redick reminded everyone of the true nature of being a role player (h/t The Sports Rush).

“Everybody is a role player. His [LeBron ’] roles is to be the guy. Luka’s role is to be the guy. That’s his role. There’s a difference between the definition and the connotation. The connotation of a role player, most 19 and 20-year-olds don’t want to hear that.”

LeBron and Doncic simply have bigger and more expansive roles on their respective teams. They aren’t specialists or players situational players coaches only mostly call to enter the floor when a specific circumstance arises during a game. Their fingerprints are always all over a game and most often define the general direction of their respective teams.

That should be on full display in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, where the Lakers are going to play the Denver Nuggets, while the Dallas Mavericks face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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