Day 1 of training camp is now over for the Los Angeles Lakers, and it went without a hiccup.
With the busy summer of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who both won a gold medal with Team USA in the Paris Olympics, it’s the first time that the Lakers were fully together as a unit.
Unlike in the past years, the Lakers refused to make blockbuster moves in the offseason, with general manager Rob Pelinka focusing on continuity with the same core from the past two campaigns.
In a report from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron hailed the start of their training camp.
“Great first day,” James said. “It was very detail-oriented.”
At 39 years old, James is again tasked to lead the Lakers, along with Davis, who played a career-high 76 games last season. The challenge, however, has another layer with new coach JJ Redick.
At 39 years old, James is again tasked to lead the Lakers, along with Davis, who played a career-high 76 games last season. The challenge, however, has another layer with new coach JJ Redick.
The former NBA sharpshooter has faced sharp criticisms due to his lack of coaching experience. LeBron and the other Lakers, however, are high on Redick, who wants “efficiency” to be their calling card, according to McMenamin.
Still, LeBron wants to take a step back when weighing the Lakers’ chances.
“I don’t have any expectations,” the NBA’s all-time leading scorer said. “And that’s unfair to put any expectations on us right now. The only thing that we can count on each other is how we come to practice and come to work every day.”
Redick, who’s just one year older than James, said he’s planning to use a nine-man rotation. James admitted that he hasn’t really sat down with his new coach to discuss strategy because of his hectic summer.
“It’s a collision course for all of us,” the four-time MVP said. “We’re all learning on the fly.”
The Lakers will open their season against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22.
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