LeBron James said Los Angeles Lakers teammate JaVale McGee should be considered an NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate Saturday.

"We could have possibly the Defensive Player of the Year in JaVale, and we see when he goes off the floor what happens to our defense. We have to be even greater, but it's definitely good to have him on the floor, I'll tell you that," James told reporters. "More, more, more communication which will allow us when we make mistakes to cover them up."

McGee's averaging 3.3 blocks through eight appearances during the 2018-19 season.

The 30-year-old center was an afterthought as part of the Lakers' barrage of offseason additions, which James' signing highlighted.

McGee's made a significant impact in the early going, though. Along with his shot-blocking prowess, he's averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.1 minutes per game.

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"He's been big for us all year," point guard Lonzo Ball told reporters following the post player's 15-rebound, five-block performance in Wednesday's 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks. "Protects the paint, dunks everything. We appreciate him a lot."

Although McGee leads the Lakers in defensive rating by a considerable margin, per NBA.com, he's only 77th in the league in defensive win shares, per Basketball Reference.

So, while he's helping L.A. at that end of the floor, putting him in the DPOY conversation may be ambitious on James' part as the Lakers try to find their stride following a 3-5 start.