Dave McMenaminESPN Staff Writer9 min read
Shaq: Lakers know Nuggets are the team to beat
Shaquille O’Neal joins SportsCenter to discuss whether the Lakers have closed the gap on the defending champion Nuggets.
After playing for seven different teams in eight seasons in the NBA, Christian Wood is determined to make an impression on Day 1 of his eighth season.
The Los Angeles Lakers gather for a voluntary player-organized minicamp about a week before training camp, and Wood reported to the court at San Diego State’s practice facility hours before the team was scheduled to meet.
“I try to be one of the first people in the gym,” Wood told ESPN. “I thought it was about 7 o’clock in the morning, 7:20.
“The first person I saw was LeBron James. He was sweating profusely.
“He’s already beat me to it.”
James, 38, enters his 21st season with his third team, overcoming obstacles big and small along the way to get where he is today. He defied the odds and escaped his impoverished upbringing in Akron, Ohio. Beat defenders off the dribble as he drives to the rim time and time again. Defeating playoff opponents one after another, winning 4 championship rings and reaching the NBA Finals 10 times. After being hyped as a high school student in a way the sport had never seen, he beat even the most exaggerated predictions of where his career would ultimately go.
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown, who was 35 when James started coaching with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005, has been surprised by the Lakers star’s longevity.
“Oh my gosh, I got fired in Cleveland and I was like, ‘Man, I need to take a year off,'” Brown, 53, said before the Kings’ preseason game against the Lakers on Wednesday. “Then the second year came and I was like, ‘Man, it’s okay.’ So I took the second year off.
“For him to have (21) years in a row is ridiculous.”
Although injuries have taken their toll on James – missing 27, 26 and 27 games over the past three years – looking back at last season, we can see how he once again fell short of glory.
He replaced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time scoring leader (38,387), a record held by Abdul-Jabbar during James’ lifetime. And, after dealing with a right foot injury that James said “almost tore the entire tendon,” he returned and led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals, extending his streak of missing 282 consecutive postseason games.
What’s next for ’21? As James begins his pursuit of a fifth championship, here are five things to consider:
1. How will the Lakers manage James’ playing time?
Lakers head coach Davin Hamm has James playing fewer minutes in 2022-23 than he did last season (35.5 minutes per game compared to 37.2 last season), but it’s still the first time he’s played since he joined the Lakers in 2018 The second most playing time ever.
Los Angeles is allowing James to easily participate in this training camp and preseason and have the remaining days to prepare for real games, starting on October 24 on the road against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
LeBron hopes Lakers can move forward
LeBron James is optimistic about the Lakers heading into the new season.
“It’s easy for him to deal with these so-called ‘unknown challenges’ because he takes good care of himself and is constantly preparing himself,” Ham said before Wednesday’s game.
“Again, not just providing service, but providing the highest (level) of service. We’re going to take it day by day and see where it goes.”
Los Angeles purposefully built his team not just with depth, but with what he considers organizational depth so that even if James’ minutes aren’t drastically reduced, he could get more time on the court with Anthony Davis. Players spent together, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood can lead the action rather than listening to veterans and spending energy constantly Make rules.
2. What record is James chasing?
James is 1,348 points away from becoming the first NBA player to score 40,000 points in the regular season. But if you tally up all his points — including playoff points — he’s also closing in on an international record.
Oscar Schmidt was a Brazilian basketball player whose career lasted from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, in which he scored 49,737 points in all recorded games, more points than anywhere in history The player with the highest score. James enters the season with 48,080.
For a guy who came into the league saying his goal was to one day become a “global icon,” passing Schmidt would be a full-circle moment.
According to data from Elias Sports Bureau, James can play 549 more minutes, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and jumping into the top spot in NBA history (regular season and playoffs).
He can also climb some major top ten lists:
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After 56 games, he will move from No. 9 to No. 6, surpassing Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and Karl Malone.
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James needs a triple-double to break a tie with Jason Kidd for control of the fourth spot on this list.
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With 30 wins, he would pass Malone and John Stockton for the fourth-most regular season wins in league history.
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If he makes 292 more free throws, he will surpass Kobe Bryant and become the third player in history with the most free throws.
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Add in 22 steals, and he would rank eighth all-time in steals, ahead of Clyde Drexler.
3. How does James compare to other players who have been in the league this long?
When James takes the court against the Nuggets, he will become the sixth player in the league’s 77-year history to play 21 seasons or more, joining Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Vince Carter , Robert Parish and Dirk Nowitzki.
These five players average combined In 21 seasons, he averaged 29.0 points per game, and Garnett averaged 7.6 points per game.James is about to end a he personally The average is 28.9.
He’s going to obliterate the production standards of a player at this stage of his career.
There has never been an instance of a player scoring 25 points or more in a game in his 21st season or beyond, let alone even close to that number. Nowitzki scored 30 points in the final home game of 2019 against the Phoenix Suns.
“It’s all about my health,” James told ESPN when asked about continuing to extend his prime. “And my mentality, if I can keep my head above water. No matter how your head is, everything else will be.” in place. So keeping my mind fresh, staying coordinated, staying intact during the marathon will allow my body to perform afterwards.”
4. What does James think of Los Angeles’ roster?
James had not commented on the Lakers’ offseason moves until media day, other than sharing photos on Instagram of all the players signed by Los Angeles.
When he finally talked about the roster, he gave a ringing endorsement.
“I’m glad we’re getting back to our core,” James said at noon, “and bringing in a lot of really, really, really good players that can help us move forward.”
Remember how James blasted the team’s lack of “laser” after the Lakers’ season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors last October? He also credited that aspect of team building after the Lakers hit 20 of 55 three-point attempts in their preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets.
“We’re shooting better this year,” James said after the Oct. 9 win. “We had a lot of guys last year who shot the ball really well from beyond the arc.”
A solid three-point arsenal would be a welcome addition to the Los Angeles offense. The Lakers’ three-point shooting percentage in the first four games of last season was the worst in league history, finishing 25th in the league, shooting 34.6% from outside. Although the team acquired capable shooters after the trade deadline, the Lakers shot only 33.5% from three-point range in the playoffs, and James shot only 26.4% on 6.6 attempts per game.
Plus Taurean Prince, who shot 38.1 percent from three for Minnesota; Christian Wood, who shot 37.6 percent for Dallas; and Gabe Vincent (Gabe Vincent), who shot 37.8% from the field during Miami’s playoff run to the Finals; and D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reeves (who played in FIBA last summer) (shooting 50% from 3-point range at the World Cup) finding more opportunities should improve this area.
5. How will James be different in 21 years?
Lakers media day opened with Davis — not James — being the first player to speak to reporters, allowing the veteran big man’s voice to set the tone.
It’s a subtle shift from the initial wording of James’ offer, which has been customary with his team in the past, but not an insignificant change to the schedule.
Shortly after, James told ESPN that Davis was the “face” of the Lakers and that he would pass the torch to Davis whether he was ready to accept it or not.
Behind the scenes, James worked one-on-one with Hachimura all summer, and the 25-year-old forward made multiple trips to the road to meet James and learn from a mentor who was ready to pass on more than two decades of value. knowledge.
James said the time he missed last season with a foot injury ultimately made him more excited about the game, adding that watching and analyzing his teammates made him a fan of their games.
He may not be showing any outward signs of slowing down, but James’ perspective has shifted.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said the team “worked” with James to develop a plan “to get him all the way to the end.” In other words, allow him to attack June with as much fuel in the tank as possible.
James, long praised for his unselfish play when the ball is in his hands, may find it’s okay to get the ball into the hands of teammates more and more and choose his spots to showcase his skills, which will It took him a long time to get into the Hall of Fame.
“He understands how much his teammates value him and how much they support him,” Hamm told ESPN. “He also knows how to get them to support him… We put together a balanced roster that will help him be even better, hopefully in an effective way.” The way.”