The chemistry of the Los Angeles Lakers is something that will be watched closely this upcoming season. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only returning players from last season while the team added a number of new players headlined by superstar point guard Russell Westbrook.
While Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo are familiar, everyone else is completely new. The Lakers are laser-focused coming into the season as they are intent on bringing home another NBA Championship, but everyone will need to be on the same page to do so. And it appears James is looking to give the Lakers a head start.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James has organized a three-day minicamp in Las Vegas for the Lakers ahead of the start of training camp next week:
“Sources tell me LeBron James has organized a three-day Lakers team minicamp in Las Vegas starting on Friday, ahead of next week’s training camp. James hosted a similar function in 2019, the season that the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship. The Lakers had acquired Anthony Davis in 2019 and were integrating him to the roster. This offseason, in similar fashion, the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook and will now use this weekend as a catapult ahead of the upcoming NBA season.”
As Charania noted, this is something James organized ahead of the 2019-20 championship season when the team again made a number of roster changes headlined by the Davis trade. The extremely quick turnaround made such a camp impossible ahead of last season, but James and the Lakers are back at it this year.
This camp will allow all of these new pieces to get used to each other and build the chemistry that was so important to their success. This also is a sign of James’ leadership as he understands what the team needs even before the season begins.
The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza and the rest of the new Lakers will now get the chance to come together in the first step to what everyone believes will be a season to remember.
Lakers to bring in Monta Ellis for a workout?
As it stands, the Lakers currently have 13 players on their roster but are expected to have 14 guaranteed players on the team by the time the season begins. The majority of players added this offseason have been veterans with playoff experience and now another name has been rumored as the Lakers are reportedly interested in bringing in Monta Ellis for a workout.
Ellis would be another player who is 35 years or older and has averaged 17.8 points for his career, but he hasn’t been in the NBA since 2017.
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