Lakers see their age as an advantage, not a punchline

EL SEGUNDO — Get the jokes successful portion you can.

Any casual treatment astir the Lakers predictably veers into the property of the roster: Nine players 32 oregon older. Five players 35 oregon older. Some of the astir minutes, points, rebounds and assists successful the league piled into 1 locker room. They tin stock memories of increasing up successful the ’80s and aboriginal ’90s. They tin play shuffleboard together, oregon spell for agelong quiescent walks, oregon immoderate near-retirees do.

At times, LeBron James has adjacent fto himself get caught up successful the fun.

“I really truly bash laughter astatine them – I’m not conscionable saying that,” said the four-time league MVP, who volition crook 37 successful December. “Some of the memes and immoderate of the jokes person been highly funny.”

But Tuesday marked the commencement of grooming campy for the Lakers, and frankincense the clip erstwhile the squad – with conscionable 3 returning players from past season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit – gets down to business. And portion overmuch of the hoops satellite is contented to poke amusive astatine the oldest roster successful the NBA, the Lakers fiercely contend that acquisition volition beryllium 1 of their top advantages.

“We’ve got a clump of guys who person been successful this league for rather a portion that recognize and cognize what it takes to win,” James said, stiffening his spine. “That’s the concern that we’re successful – of winning.”

Business has been up and down successful the James Era, present entering twelvemonth four: The Lakers person a .583 winning percent with James successful the fold, capped by an NBA rubric successful 2020, but bookended truthful acold by less-than-satisfying results acknowledgment successful ample portion to injuries. In an effort to rebuild a contender, James was pivotal successful pushing to adhd Russell Westbrook, who the Lakers acquired from Washington successful a draft-day trade, and assembling different veterans successful escaped agency: Carmelo Anthony (37), Trevor Ariza (36), Dwight Howard (35) and Rajon Rondo (35) among them.

And yes, the overriding taxable is that astir of them are past what is considered the NBA prime. But the different mode to look astatine it, they trumpeted, is that astir of them person earthy gifts and sharpened subject to person lasted good beyond the emblematic NBA career. After a player-driven minicamp successful Las Vegas, astir of them expect chemistry for this squad should beryllium a breeze.

“When you person guys who person utmost IQs and guys who are hoops anomalies,” Ariza said, “you’re capable to conscionable fig it out.”

So overmuch of their occurrence seems to hinge connected however James and All-Star large antheral Anthony Davis blend with Westbrook, the mean-mugging, jet-fueled constituent defender who has an MVP grant and the vocation grounds for triple-doubles but has developed a estimation for coming up abbreviated successful the postseason. James successful peculiar has worked retired respective times with Westbrook during the offseason: “We’ve been tied astatine the hip, beauteous much, since we made the acquisition.”

While nary 1 has ever accused Westbrook of lacking information oregon energy, the Lakers expect that a accidental to play for a rubric and successful the threads of his hometown squad volition enactment an other zip successful his step. That seemed evident Tuesday, arsenic Westbrook grinned with giddy pride, sitting connected a tribunal beneath the franchise’s Larry O’Brien trophies and the banners of legendary players. He called playing for the Lakers “a blessing.”

“There’s ever been conversations astir maine coming location for each summer, damn near,” helium said. “I ne'er truly thought it would really benignant of propulsion done until, obviously, now.”

But portion the Lakers are excited to get down to business, it’s inevitable that determination volition beryllium immoderate struggles: A connection respective cardinal figures utilized was “sacrifice,” and connected a heavy roster with galore existent and erstwhile superstars, determination are bound to beryllium adaptations to roles and playing time.

Sometimes that volition mean taking connected much responsibility. A fewer months removed from missing fractional of the 2020-21 regular play with injury, Davis came to the podium with his hairsbreadth grown retired and a noticeable summation successful bulk. The Lakers confirmed that they’re expecting him to play much halfway during the regular season, thing he’s resisted successful the past, but which the squad and Davis person acknowledged often gives them the champion accidental to win.

“Nothing is acceptable successful stone,” Davis said. “But we privation to spot what that looks like.”

Others volition person to beryllium more. That includes Anthony, who became accustomed to coming disconnected the seat successful Portland. Less than a calendar twelvemonth ago, Rondo was the backup constituent defender for the title-winning Lakers, but with this group, helium figures successful arsenic much of an exigency fill-in who volition lend much disconnected the tribunal than connected it.

Other positions inactive person to beryllium sorted retired during grooming camp: Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk are among those who inactive tin specify their roles. But adjacent though Coach Frank Vogel volition person to marque immoderate pugnacious decisions astir rotations connected a decidedly heavy team, helium thinks maturity volition assistance usher the Lakers done immoderate of those uncomfortable conversations.

“That’s thing I’m not truly disquieted about,” Vogel said. “I deliberation the property and acquisition tin payment you successful this concern from a standpoint of knowing that stepping speech for a teammate oregon for the radical to person occurrence is sometimes indispensable to triumph a championship.”

And that’s the goal: a title. One happening the property of the roster does is bounds the team’s model to win. General Manager Rob Pelinka has laid a sizeable stake connected getting backmost to the Finals this season, oregon look the task of different overhaul adjacent summer. Adding to the unit is the disbursal of 3 stars, which has pushed the Lakers into the luxury taxation and lone increases the measure adjacent year.

Age mightiness marque immoderate things tougher: staying healthy, staying fresh, staying spry. But the Lakers judge successful the agelong run, it’s an advantage. So for now, they’re consenting to laughter with the inexpensive shots – arsenic agelong arsenic they upwind up wherever they’re expected to.

“It’s ne'er bulletin committee material, due to the fact that it’s a narrative, right?” Anthony said. “It’s idiosyncratic else’s narrative. It’s not our narrative.”