After Sunday night, Los Angeles finally knows how LeBron James looks next to their favorite young core since the early 90’s. And while James only played 15 minutes in his first game with the Lakers, scoring 9 points while grabbing 3 rebounds and dishing 3 assists, by far the most exciting parts of the night were when LeBron connected with his new teammates.
Hopefully, James will continue to find these young guys in the Lakers’ second game of the preseason against the Nuggets.
Brandon Ingram was one of the biggest recipients of LeBron’s unselfish play as he showed that all the hard work he put in this summer has paid off. Look for Ingram to continue to make his mark on the Lakers’ offense in the rematch against Denver, with improvements to his already stellar finishing ability.
Also, hopefully we’ll see Ingram’s improvements as a shooter, which will make him an even more dangerous weapon as LeBron’s number two.
Also, head coach Luke Walton has spoken about Ingram being vital because he can take on point guard responsibilities, which is helpful with Lonzo Ball missing his second straight game this year.
Another player who fits in nicely next to James was Rajon Rondo.
Rondo and James’ bromance has been an interesting topic amongst Laker fans since his signing in July, and the two proved on Sunday that they could use their playmaking abilities to will this Lakers team to victories this season.
One major beneficiary of the pace and playmaking ability on the floor was JaVale McGee.
James will be able to hit McGee as he sprints down the court, allowing the Lakers to push the pace and he also give James a pick and roll partner that will help create even more space for shooters on the perimeter.
Tuesday’s game also gives Walton another chance to use different lineups together and see which groups of guys work together, and which ones don’t.
Hopefully we’ll also see the Lakers come together more on the defensive end of the court and continue to build chemistry with different lineups.
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet