The Los Angeles Lakers are two games in to a long 82-game regular season and are in the process of integrating many new pieces around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Even the returners to this year’s team largely arrived in L.A. at last season’s trade deadline, making them relatively new to the system.
The Lakers are expected to compete for a championship in 2023-24, and part of the process will be the team meshing together over the course of the season. So far, things have looked somewhat disjointed on the offensive end, but a great defensive effort against the Phoenix Suns have them at 1-1 through two games.
James is no stranger to building chemistry with a new team, as he’s done it many times over the course of his storied 21-year career. His most recent championship with the Lakers in 2019-20 was with a roster of almost entirely new players. So while the Lakers may not have elite chemistry and togetherness just yet, James isn’t worried.
“I mean, it’s not where I want it to be, but that’s OK,” James said of L.A.’s continuity. “Looking forward to be where we want it to be going down the stretch. We have new pieces that we’re trying to integrate into the system you know, so it’s gonna take time. Coaches still tinkering around with lineups, things of that nature out on the floor as you’re seeing different combinations tonight.
“Our fourth quarter lineup with Gabe [Vincent], AD, C-Wood, myself and AR and or DLo at one point. That was one of the first times we’ve kind of had that matchup all on the floor at the same time I think for sure to any game with Gabe, AR, myself, C-Wood and AD. We’re still trying to figure out lineups that works well for us and what combinations works well. You know, and as we continue to go through games and whatever film sessions and things of that nature, we’ll see we’ll work where minutes are logged when we’re playing our best basketball we’d be able to get better from that. I mean, it’s gonna take time. I don’t think I can say not where we want to be but that’s okay. Because I know that there’s no way we should be where I want us to be right now.”
Even with that, James sees plenty of positive with this Lakers team so far. But James is not one to stick solely to praise, as with the positive outlook came some important areas of improvement he’s already seeing.
“There’s a lot to like, but I think how we take the challenge. I think early on in the game, we weren’t playing to our capabilities. We’ve given up a lot of extra points, a lot of second-chance points. We know that killed us in Denver a couple of nights ago. It was killing us in the first half. We made the adjustment. We talked about it, and we got it done.
“We know in order for us to win this game, we had to take the challenge defensively. And we took the challenge and got it done. So that’s always great to know that you’re gonna get on somebody, get in your team, challenge your teammates. You’re able to make the shift and make the change. And don’t take it personal. We are all professionals. We all want to win. We have one common goal, and that’s to win and compete at a high level every night. So I love how we can challenge each other and apply it that way.”
James has never been one to panic about any team shortcomings in the early phase of the regular season. In fact, many of his best teams have not performed well in the first half and have been able to kick it into high gear when it matters most.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers have that same trajectory, but James clearly has belief in what the team can be at its best.
James discusses surpassing soft minutes limit
James played 35 minutes in the Lakers win over the Suns after discussion that he would be limited to around 28-30 minutes per game. Reports state that the 28-30 figure is more of a guideline, and it was proven on Thursday when James played more out of necessity.
“He asked me if I could go the quarter. I looked at the time and the score and what was going on in the game, and it was an easy answer for myself,” James said. “I know how much work I’ve put in to be able to play quarters or whatever the case may be and understand that we’re we definitely have a system put in place. But tonight calls for me to go outside of the box today. And Coach Ham was cool. … He was able to use those wisely to get myself rest, get the team rest and I felt very fresh going down the stretch. … Coach trusted me and I had to go out there and prove it.”
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