LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to get back to the NBA Finals this upcoming season. As James enters his 4th NBA season with the Lakers, he wants to emulate the success of the 2019-20 NBA season when they won the championship.
The Lakers have been extremely active in the offseason, as they tried to rebuild their team down to every position. Other than LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker, each player was either traded or let go in free agency.
The biggest move the Lakers made in the offseason was bringing in All-Star point guard and former MVP Russell Westbrook. The Lakers sent Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell to Washington in order to bring in Westbrook.
On top of that, the Lakers targeted several veteran players on team-friendly deals. Players like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, and Kent Bazemore were brought in on team-friendly deals to accommodate Westbrook’s large contract.
The Lakers also brought in Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn to add some youth to the team. The Lakers are once again strong contenders for the NBA championship next season. And it appears LeBron James is doing more work in order to make sure they’re on the same page ahead of training camp.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that LeBron James has organized a minicamp for the Los Angeles Lakers squad in Las Vegas which begins this week. This minicamp will take place before training camp begins for the Lakers.
This minicamp is similar to the one the Lakers had in 2019 when Anthony Davis joined the team. It helped integrate AD into the team, and the Lakers ended the season as champions. So LeBron is doing this to integrate Russell Westbrook and the other stars into the squad and hopefully, it can lead to the Lakers winning another NBA title.
LeBron James organizing Lakers team minicamp in Las Vegas ahead of training camp – a similar chemistry-building function to the one hosted before the 2020 title season. Details: pic.twitter.com/Z9c4JnSW1E
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2021
“Sources tell me LeBron James is organizing a 3-day Lakers team minicamp in Las Vegas starting on Friday ahead of next week’s training camp. James hosted a similar team function in 2019, the season that the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship. The Lakers had acquired Anthony Davis in 2019, and were integrating him to the roster. This offseason, in similar fashion, the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook and will now use this weekend as a catapult ahead of the upcoming NBA season.”
The Lakers are making their ambitions clear for the next season, as they look to win another NBA championship. Another disappointing playoff exit like the one in 2021 will not be tolerated. So they’re ready to contend with the Brooklyn Nets and make a run for the title.
With Westbrook, the Lakers finally have a big 3 that can contend with the Nets. But the Lakers will have to show that they can consistently and regularly perform at the highest level in order to vindicate their status as championship favorites.
