Can LeBron make this Lakers roster work?

That is the story you already know:

Final summer time because the Los Angeles Lakers constructed their group round new star LeBron James, they loaded up on ball handlers who have been mild on taking pictures potential and handed on including dependable large males, assuming James would play extra in that function. It was a plan, ratified by James, that included enjoying up-tempo and taking playmaking strain off him as he moved into the later stage of his profession.

It didn’t work. The Lakers could not shoot and the ground shrunk on James. They ended up occurring a monthslong quest for giant males. Level guards Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo bought harm. James took over nearly all of the ballhandling anyway; he performed the quickest tempo of his profession at age 34; and two months in, he suffered the worst harm of his profession. The Lakers completed 37-45 and missed the playoffs.

Now, the Lakers wish to write a brand new story. It goes like this:

James would be the main playmaker — as he has been on his groups for the previous 16 seasons, deliberate or not — with Rondo again as a possible backup making $7 million much less. The roster now has a spate of Three-and-D gamers, with Danny Inexperienced, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley becoming a member of a re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

A blockbuster commerce for Anthony Davis, the return of Kyle Kuzma and the addition of DeMarcus Cousins will give the Lakers a dramatically extra sturdy entrance line, with Davis there to share James’ scoring and playmaking load.

Put James and Davis in a pick-and-roll, unfold the ground with these shooters (who additionally will work arduous on the different finish) and let the magic occur. Throw in the potential of including a champion akin to Andre Iguodala and one other veteran function participant alongside the best way — even perhaps one other shooter akin to Kyle Korver — and the method is there.

“There isn’t any query this can be a a lot stronger group that matches round LeBron higher,” stated one league govt.

“They began backups loads final season, they usually had some guys on their bench that should not have been within the league,” stated one scout. “In the event that they keep wholesome, they’ve a playoff lineup now.”

“They added Anthony Davis; in the event that they did nothing else, they have been going to be method higher,” stated one other league govt.

LeBron James can have extra confirmed expertise round him this coming season. Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY

So after final season’s false begin/unhealthy luck expertise, simply how good are the Lakers? In a Western Convention through which quite a few groups — together with their Staples Middle co-tenant, the LA Clippers — have loaded up, it is a truthful query.

A key issue, scouts consider, can be well being. Davis has a checkered harm historical past, although he has averted main harm over the previous three seasons. He performed solely 56 video games final season, skipping quite a few video games within the second half of the season in a quasi-exile due to his commerce demand. James performed all 82 video games in 2017-18 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, however final season, he was derailed by a groin harm.

If both participant suffers one other vital harm, the margin for error might get slim shortly. The depth of the West implies that a nasty 10-game stretch may very well be expensive.

“Kuzma might want to show he is usually a dependable third scoring choice,” stated a Western Convention scout, “as a result of AD and LeBron will miss video games they usually have largely specialists now. Kuzma goes to have to hold the load at occasions.”

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In surveying the league, the opposite challenge rivals can be watching is how the Lakers deal with early-season strain. James is legendary for his potential to ship, however he additionally is thought for planning in July that get discarded by January; final season was only one in a protracted line of examples.

For all the pieces he gives, James additionally continuously outsources duties that zap vitality, akin to guarding greater gamers, guarding the opposition’s main scorers all through the sport or bringing the ball up the ground. Final season, by nearly any measure, was the worst defensive season of James’ profession.

“AD goes to earn his cash on protection,” one scout stated.

When the Lakers go together with their most gifted lineup, which doubtless can have James at level guard, it would create a defensive problem. All of this will imply an additional burden on the coach to handle lineups and assignments, particularly early within the season, when roles are nonetheless being outlined and there is a search course of for rhythm. Which implies even with the inflow of expertise, new coach Frank Vogel may need his palms full whereas beneath a microscope.

James’ first seasons with coaches have not precisely gone nicely over the previous decade. He and Erik Spoelstra grated on one another for some time with the Miami Warmth; the David Blatt relationship in Cleveland was an entire failure virtually from day one; and final yr, a gulf shortly opened between James and Luke Walton. James even had points with Mike Krzyzewski throughout their first summer time along with Staff USA again in 2006, earlier than a bond developed.

That Jason Kidd, who has a earlier relationship with James from after they have been teammates on Staff USA a decade in the past, is on the Lakers’ bench might solely amplify the scrutiny.

“Frank is nonconfrontational, which can really work nicely with that group long run,” stated one govt. “Nevertheless it’s a very new group, and it might get uneven early; that might make it more durable.”

In canvassing greater than a dozen scouts and executives, the consensus is that the Lakers ought to surge up the standings to the excessive 40s or low 50s in wins and be in sturdy rivalry for home-court benefit within the first spherical of the postseason.

That is a real step ahead, most appear to consider, in what can be a rebound season — although perhaps not what the Lakers have been hoping for every week in the past after they have been making an attempt to land Kawhi Leonard. With out Leonard, these scouts and executives do not see a right away championship on this explicit group’s future.

“Had they gotten Kawhi, we would all in all probability be enjoying for second,” an govt stated. “I will by no means rule LeBron out, and I am to observe him and AD play collectively. However a whole lot of issues must fall in place for them to win it.”