Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, one of the initial concerns for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers is team chemistry with nine new players.
As James set up a Las Vegas mini-camp before 2019 NBA Media Day, Davis shared it was the first time the roster was together as they are looking to speed up the process.
While general manager Rob Pelinka did a solid job of surrounding James and Davis with the right role players, it will be on the two All-Star players to set the tone in Year 2.
Although James and Davis have played together on Team USA and at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game more recently, the former wants to continue learning about the latter’s game.
“You want to continue to learn every day,” James said following the team’s first practice. “As much as I’ve watched A.D. over the years and know about his game, you really don’t know until you’re on the floor with one another.”
As for Davis, he revealed his interactions with James.
“Every little thing to happen today when we were on the sideline, we talked about it. Even those things, something that went right but something that we can do better in those situations,” Davis shared when asked about James.
At the end of the first practice, James and Davis were joined by Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, and JaVale McGee. However, head coach Frank Vogel plans to change the lineups around them every day as they continue to build chemistry now.
With a week before the team’s first 2019 NBA preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 5, there is plenty of excitement about a James/Davis pick-and-roll.
As Vogel would put James and Davis ‘against anybody in the league,’ how quickly they come together — along with staying relatively healthy — will likely determine if they can truly win it all in the 2020 NBA Finals and beyond.
Although James and Davis are as talented as they come, one major factor that should help them become successful together is their unselfishness and team-first mentality.