LeBron James, on the defensive with the Lakers: "It's unfair to put expectations on us"
The King returns to lead the purple and gold once again: breaking all NBA records
LeBron James was asked about his expectations for the new season with the Los Angeles Lakers led by JJ Redick. "I have no expectations," said James. "And it's not fair to put expectations on us right now. The only thing we can rely on is how we come to practice and work every day."
Redick, who mentioned in an interview that his goal is for his team's hallmark to be efficiency both offensively and defensively as well as in preparation, received approval from his star after the first day of training. "Great first day," LeBron commented. "It was very detail-oriented."
LeBron also explained that he didn't spend much time working with Redick in the system during the summer, aside from some text messages. "It's a crash course for all of us," James said. "We are learning on the fly."
Redick had announced before the camp that he would maintain the same starting group of players that finished last season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura. However, he is in the process of defining what the rest of the rotation will be like. The coach plans to use a rotation of nine players, which means there will be plenty of competition in the camp to occupy the remaining four spots.
"I think beyond the obvious players, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt when healthy, Jaxson Hayes, Max [Christie], Cam [Reddish], Jalen [Hood-Schifino], I know I'm forgetting someone," Redick commented. "There are many players competing for those spots."
Among that group of players, Redick highlighted Christie, who during the practice game played with some of the starters and made a good impression. On the other hand, Vanderbilt is still recovering from procedures on both feet, and Reddish was excluded from the 5-on-5 practice due to physical discomfort.
"Christie is a player who has earned the trust of the coaching staff in the last two months," Redick said. LeBron also praised the organization for re-signing Christie to a four-year, $32 million contract. "I think Max will be an important part of our rotation," James mentioned. "He has improved a lot, and I'm glad we were able to retain him over the summer. I hope he has a great season."
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