When reviewing the current Los Angeles Lakers roster, the strength seems to lie in the front court as the team is full of wings who can play multiple positions.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis can toggle between power forward and center, but players like Rui Hachimura have also seen time playing all three front court spots. Aside from those three, the Lakers can also trot out players like Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood to soak up minutes at those spots as well. All that depth leads Darvin Ham to believe that James can ease himself over the course of the 2023-24 season and the team should be better because of it.
Although the modern NBA puts a premium on outside shooting, Los Angeles has made it their identity to bludgeon teams in the paint and get to the free throw line. The Lakers were excellent and putting pressure on the rim and getting to the charity stripe and that trend should continue during the regular season.
After-practice contests are normal for players and James, Davis and Hachimura decided to make shooting free throws a little more interesting, via Lakers:
The guys did a free throw challenge and things got… competitive pic.twitter.com/kX0FBMdg8x
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 6, 2023
In the video, the three players are awarded two points for a swished free throw and one point for a made one and the game is up to 20. James, Davis and Hachimura are seen taking turns shooting from the line with some friendly trash talk mixed in between.
Later on in the clip, there is an argument over what counts as a swish versus hitting the rim and Rob Pelinka interjects by asking if the orange box below the rim counts. James argues it does count and says, ‘Anything orange is rim’ while Davis objects and says that hitting the box after the made free throw shouldn’t count.
At the end, James is able to make the final in dramatic fashion as it circles the rim, though Hachimura claims he ended up winning. The camaraderie and gamesmanship are at healthy levels during training camp and hopefully that translates into success on the floor.
Rui Hachimura embracing championship aspirations
Hachimura had several impressive playoff games last season and looks like he’ll be a key contributor for Los Angeles again. Although the pressure to win a title is high, Hachimura is embracing the team’s goal and is looking forward to the opportunity.
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