JJ Redick calls LeBron James the Lakers' 'quarterback' on defense

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One of the negative narratives that has dogged LeBron James in recent years is that he doesn't play any defense. There has been a fair amount of truth in that narrative, partly because he has had to conserve his energy on that end of the court as a concession to the insane amount of wear and tear he has accumulated over 22 NBA seasons.

But since the arrival of Luka Doncic, James has been starting to assert himself a bit more on the defensive end. He likely won't be chosen to one of the NBA's All-Defensive teams, but head coach JJ Redick said several weeks ago that the superstar is "playing at an All-NBA defense level."

More recently, Redick levied more praise on James for his defense by calling him the Lakers' quarterback on that end of the floor.

Via NBA.com:

“Quarterback is an offensive position, but he’s the quarterback of the defense,” Redick said. “A lot of that is his voice, his IQ.”

James' immense experience and knowledge of the technical breakdown of basketball greatly helps the team on defense, as guard Austin Reaves pointed out.

"He leads by example every day," Reaves explained. "He shows up to work happy, smile on his face. And obviously his IQ is second to none. So anytime he's talking on court, off court, everybody's locked into what he has to say and it's big for us when on the court talking like that because like I said, his IQ is so high that he's seen a billion possessions in the NBA, so he's guarded every type of player that's been in the NBA, he's seen every scheme. So, if there's someone to listen to, I think it would be him."

L.A.'s defense has had some ups and downs since the current iteration of its roster took shape, but it has had extended stretches where it has been outstanding in that category. It was outstanding defensively in February when it was first in defensive rating, defensive field-goal percentage and opponents' points in the paint per game, and that level of prowess has returned at times during the final games of the regular season.

The playoffs begin on Saturday for the Lakers, and now there is nothing to hold back, especially since they seem to have a real shot at winning the NBA championship. That likely means James will be giving more effort on the defensive end than he has in quite some time.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick calls LeBron James the Lakers' 'quarterback' on defense

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