An intriguing free agency gave way to the Los Angeles Lakers assembling a unique roster that balances veterans who want to win now and a developing young core that is still relatively inexperienced.
To their credit, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball all worked diligently during the offseason to bridge that gap and are willing learners.
As the young core was a major factor in LeBron James signing in free agency, the 33-year-old understands he has to be patient with the process.
Having already warned of what could come if his patience is lost, James also explained there is a limit to it, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“You don’t get a pass for not practicing excellence every day. I don’t like to use the word ‘pass,’ but you do understand the best teacher in life is experience. A lot of these guys don’t have a lot of experience. I have to understand that, Rajon understands that, we understand that. But you don’t get a pass for not practicing excellence every day and trying to be great every day. That’s the difference.”
While James could have signed with a contender, he liked the challenge of helping the Lakers return to championship contention. Considering how competitive the young core is, they all have the right mentality and will only improve playing with James.
Although the Lakers are off to a sluggish start, they’ve faced a difficult schedule in the early going and one that’s included playoff teams with plenty of cohesion. Nonetheless, James and his team must guard against falling too far behind in the Western Conference standings.
