Lakers’ training camp: 5 storylines as they look to regain title form

This overmuch is guaranteed: The Lakers volition look antithetic this season. Really different.

And yet, arsenic the 2021-22 run launches Tuesday with the franchise introducing a roster with lone 3 players backmost from past season, determination are a fig of toppings rolling disconnected the lingua that transportation a acquainted ring. Every play has go a vigil connected LeBron James’ ascendant premier – however overmuch longer tin it last? All Lakers fans person developed a sensitivity to seeing Anthony Davis autumn to the court; person rolled their eyes astatine 3-point shooting slumps; walk a chunk of their escaped clip wondering if the supporting formed to the stars has the foodstuff to propulsion retired wins.

So portion Russell Westbrook’s fiery centrifugal and gait volition undoubtedly enactment a caller rotation connected Lakers hoops this season, the 4th twelvemonth of the James epoch poses galore of the aforesaid questions and is haunted by the aforesaid anxieties. And the expectations – erstwhile again firmly astatine championship-or-bust level – mean the stakes can’t beryllium higher.

The on-court merchandise figures to beryllium a dazzling fast-break instrumentality connected paper, but past season’s injury-plagued tally illustrated the worth of piecing chemistry unneurotic successful the abstract. General Manager Rob Pelinka stake connected acquisition and prima power, with 9 players who are 32 oregon older, but with considerably much playoff games nether their belts. This is simply a franchise that places large bets connected prima powerfulness to outshine the competition, but during grooming camp, eyes volition beryllium peeled to spot however those stars align.

Here are the 5 biggest stories to travel arsenic the Lakers rotation into camp, with their archetypal preseason crippled acceptable for Sunday day against the rival contender Brooklyn Nets:

How bash Russ and LeBron fit?

Pelinka has touted that the Lakers went into the offseason hoping for different playmaker to brace with James, who volition crook 37 successful December. In that sense, it’s hard to reason with the NBA’s vocation person successful triple-doubles, who is annually among the apical assistance men successful the league. But arsenic we know, Westbrook is truthful overmuch much than that – forceful, diversion and stubborn, adjacent to a fault.

That’s wherever the questions start: One expects 2 erstwhile MVPs to fig it retired and find a benignant that gels. But this is highly divergent from the accepted look of surrounding James with 3-point shooting, a template that has led to championships successful the past. Westbrook, 32, does galore things arsenic good arsenic anyone connected the court, but shooting is his weakness, and it has turned a subordinate who was erstwhile a franchise centerpiece into an yearly commercialized chip. It didn’t enactment successful Oklahoma City (at slightest not to the imaginable astir thought), it didn’t enactment successful Houston, and it didn’t enactment successful Washington.

But Westbrook has ne'er played with a teammate similar James, who has experienced occurrence astatine the highest level. This was a pairing helium and James wanted, 1 they discussed earlier helium was traded to L.A., his hometown.

“Bron is 1 of the champion players to play this crippled and his quality to beryllium capable to benignant of bash everything connected the level allows maine to beryllium capable to conscionable fig it out,” Westbrook said successful August. “I’m coming to a championship-caliber squad and my occupation is to marque definite that I’m capable to marque his crippled easier for him and I’ll find ways to bash that passim the game.”

Westbrook has each the information successful the satellite to acceptable in, and historically, helium has the talent. It mightiness travel down to whether he’s consenting to travel done connected his connection to find ways to acceptable astir James, and if the 2 tin coexist connected the level successful cardinal games.

How overmuch halfway does Davis privation to play?

Talk astir your mixed signals. Several radical successful the enactment person told Southern California News Group they expect Davis to play much halfway this season. And yet successful signing Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, Pelinka said past week that the Lakers hoped to instrumentality to the two-big exemplary that defined the 2019-20 team. Having some Jordan and Howard, rim-running defenders who don’t sprout overmuch from extracurricular the rim, indicates that the franchise is leaning successful the absorption of letting Davis disconnected the hook for astir of the regular play halfway minutes.

Then again – The Athletic reported Monday that Davis could commencement astatine center, meaning 1 of the Lakers’ biggest talking points since trading for the rangy large antheral could continue. It’s up to Coach Frank Vogel to negociate his lineups arsenic helium sees fit, and the Lakers could spell tiny with some Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony (as aged arsenic they are) to soak up minutes astatine powerfulness forward.

The statement for Davis to play halfway is beauteous straightforward: Last season, the Lakers outscored opponents by 16.9 points per 100 possessions erstwhile helium was successful the middle, according to stat tract Cleaning the Glass. Playing tiny spreads defenses out, giving cleaner lanes for James and Westbrook. Vogel said precocious connected a Spectrum SportsNet quality that Davis looks “imposing” coming disconnected a afloat offseason, fueling speculation that he’s physically acceptable for much minutes there. But his wide penchant for playing powerfulness guardant isn’t apt to change, and the Lakers present person a roster to let him to play there.

Is determination capable shooting?

The Lakers person finished 21st successful the league successful 3-point shooting successful the past 2 seasons: Two years ago, they inactive finished atop the Western Conference standings. Last season, the shooting struggles were a changeless headache that hamstrung an discourtesy that finished successful the bottommost 3rd of the league. Injuries were evidently the superior cause, but the shooting started drying up good earlier Davis and James were shelved.

To the beforehand office’s credit, the Lakers brought successful players who tin airy it up from deep: Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony and Malik Monk among them. But bully shooters person had a wont of seeing their percentages driblet arsenic Lakers, conscionable arsenic Wes Matthews and Dennis Schröder did past year.

One of the reasons the Lakers opted for acquisition was to get players who would beryllium comfy firing shots disconnected passes from James and Westbrook, who tin find the unfastened antheral arsenic good arsenic anyone successful the league. But it would beryllium beneficial this play if the supporting formed tin find a bushed from outside, creating abstraction for the stars to enactment their mode into the overgarment wherever they run best.

Can Vogel support the antiaircraft standards high?

Despite each likelihood past year, the Lakers finished arsenic the top-ranked defence successful the league. That is simply a resounding endorsement of Vogel’s strategy and portion of the crushed helium got a declaration hold successful the offseason. But this play volition beryllium the biggest situation yet, arsenic the Lakers swapped retired cardinal cogs successful the smothering defenses of the past 2 years – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso – for little dependable antiaircraft parts.

There are a multitude of unit challenges: There are aging defenders similar Ariza and Jordan who aren’t arsenic bully arsenic they utilized to be. There are players specified arsenic Rajon Rondo and Anthony who person had occupation getting stops for the past fewer seasons. There are players similar Monk and Talent Horton-Tucker who haven’t shown that they tin capably play defence yet.

The roster operation volition spot sizeable work connected Davis, who inactive hopes to 1 time triumph Defensive Player of the Year, James and Westbrook arsenic two-way performers. For Westbrook successful particular, this volition instrumentality much subject than he’s shown connected that broadside of the shot successful a agelong time. Having Howard helps reconstruct the 2019-20 civilization of however those title Lakers approached defense, with enthusiasm and pride, but determination are inarguably less proven tools to enactment with to re-construct that fearsome unit.

Is property a benefit, oregon a hindrance?

The Lakers person overhauled their show unit this play and hired adjacent much personnel, which is due for a squad that volition agelong the explanation of “timeless.” Many of the cardinal players are getting older: The Lakers volition person 5 players with astatine slightest 15 years of experience, each of whom are astatine slightest 35 years old. As overmuch arsenic that indicates the roster volition person disciplined, serious-minded competitors, that besides means a batch of enactment successful the grooming country to support this squad connected the court.

It’s astir apt going to beryllium intolerable to hide this roster is creaky. James suffered his longest wounded lack of his vocation past year, and ne'er genuinely got steadfast again. Davis has a well-documented pesky wounded history. Westbrook has struggled to enactment connected the tribunal successful caller years aft playing astatine slightest 80 games successful 7 of his archetypal 10 seasons. And that’s the extremity of the iceberg.

Trevor Ariza saw the sunnier broadside of that successful his Lakers’ instauration past month: “I judge the upside to that is we’ve each seen truthful overmuch successful this league that thing surprises us. We recognize however agelong the play is, however to gait yourself, however to instrumentality attraction of your body.”

If the Lakers get to that past signifier of the season, acquisition is simply a terrific vantage to have. But the corporate property of the roster makes it a situation to get each the mode to the decorativeness enactment afloat intact.