Walton: Lakers will rely on LeBron in crunch time

Not since Kobe Bryant have the Los Angeles Lakers had a player they could trust in the final minutes of games to hit big shots.

But with the addition of LeBron James on the roster, Lakers head coach Luke Walton knows the team once again has that No. 1 option down the stretch.

"When you get to the end of a game, that is what max players make max money for, that is what they do," Walton said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I can comfortably say that LeBron will be our first option at the end of ballgames if it's close."

Since being drafted first overall in 2003, James has connected on 44-of-144 go-ahead or game-tying shots, including 18-of-86 with five seconds or fewer remaining on the clock.

The last Laker to drill a game-winning buzzer-beater was D'Angelo Russell on April 9, 2017.

Brandon Ingram was the only member of the 2017-18 Lakers to make multiple shots in the final 24 seconds of a game. The team went 3-of-20 in those situations.

"It will be very nice to have LeBron at the end of ballgames," Walton said. "But it is good for Brandon and these guys to get these opportunities the past couple of years and taking big shots and making or missing.

"It is the old famous (Michael) Jordan question, right? All the shots he missed is what has made him so great and made him work harder. Now, we have one of the best closers in the game, but we also have guys who have been in that situation over the last couple of years."