Lakers News: Luke Walton Names Josh Hart, Rajon Rondo As Natural Leaders Aside From LeBron James
Josh Hart, Lakers
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Leadership is one of the most important factors in the success of teams in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best now in LeBron James. Still the best player in the NBA, James has no problem corralling his teammates to follow his lead.

SHOP NOW: CHECK OUT THE LATEST MERCH ????????????

Of course, as important as one player leading the way can be, he can’t be the only one. Kobe Bryant was the unquestioned leader of the Lakers, but Derek Fisher also provided that veteran voice the team needed.

The question for this version of the Lakers is who else will step up in that role. Head coach Luke Walton has an idea of who could do that as he discussed during the “Evening with the Lakers.”

Walton specifically named Josh Hart and Rajon Rondo as players who could potentially step up as natural leaders for the Lakers, outside of James:

“With the young teams we’ve had the last two years, we’ve been pushing on them, ‘Leadership, leadership, leadership. You have to find it.’ So it will be nice for them to continue to grow in that role. I think Josh Hart has natural leadership ability. But it’s all going to start with LeBron. I think below that, from talking to Rondo and talking to coaches that have coached him, he’d probably be the next one naturally. From there, we’ll see how it goes.”

Rondo is a pretty obvious choice as a leader on the team considering how long he’s been in the NBA. The respect he has as one of the most intelligent players in the league, and the fact that he has no issues speaking up about anything. Hart on the other hand, is slightly more surprising.

Many would expect someone like Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma to inherit that role, but Hart is standing out. Hart had a very impressive summer in which he was the unquestioned leader of the Summer League team, and Walton believes that could carry over into the regular season.

Are you following us on Instagram? We’ve changed our handle to @LakersNationOfficial! Find us on Facebook at @LakersNation, and on Twitter @LakersNation.

You May Also Like

Lakers News: LeBron James & SpringHill Company To Produce Jesse Owens Documentary & Two More For History Channel

The SpringHill Company, a production company founded by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his business partner…

Lakers Rumors: Kendrick Nunn Agrees To Two-Year With L.A.

The Los Angeles Lakers continued making moves on the second day of NBA free agency with…

Lakers Nation Podcast: Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr. Excel In Loss To Suns

In this episode of the Lakers Nation Podcast we break down the Lakers’ 119-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns, which marks their fifth defeat in a row….

Larry Nance Jr. ‘Can’t Wait’ For First Game Back Against Lakers

On Sunday night the Los Angeles Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first meeting between the two teams…