Lakers: LeBron James Experiencing New Life Playing Alongside Carmelo Anthony

The King is loving some of the guys around him.

For as many disappointments as there have been this Lakers season, there have also been a few pleasant surprises. Guys like Austin Reaves, Malik Monk, and Stanley Johnson stepping up have all made the tough season slightly more palatable. 

But the Lakers knew that they weren't taking much of a risk adding Carmelo Anthony to their roster this offseason. They signed him on the veteran minimum, paying his just under $2.5 million to play this year. 

He has rewarded that faith in him by putting up some very impressive numbers. Melo is putting up 13.4 points per game and hitting threes like he's still in his twenties. He's also providing a breath of fresh air for another veteran in LeBron James.

LBJ recently spoke about having Melo around and what it has done for his game. 

It’s always just a breath of fresh air to be around every day. Never gets too high, never gets too low or he’s never gonna show you that even if he does. He just knows what he means to this ballclub, he knows what he means to this game at this point in his career and he’s accepted who he is and he’s still great at it. And I’m happy to say that I finally get an opportunity to team up with him for a full season instead of only the Olympics.

Part of that new life LeBron is experiencing might be coming from his move to center. James is putting up 28.6 points per game and grabbing boards at an incredible rate. If Melo has anything at all to do with that, the Lakers are going to want to keep him around for a while.