Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are viewed as championship contenders, but they also have eight new players.
With significant changes to the team’s roster and coaching staff, one concern is how long it will take for them to build their on-court chemistry in order to win at a high level.
While most teams are in a similar position after so much player movement, James reportedly is organizing a team mini-camp leading up to 2019 NBA training camp.
New details are emerging about the location and date of the mini-camp, according to Brad Turner of Los Angeles Times:
The sessions will be at Impact Basketball and are scheduled for Sept. 22-26. Each training session will last about 2 1/2 hours. The players will stay at the Wynn, and each is paying his own way.
Along with building on-court chemistry, James and the Lakers will also bond off-the-court with team dinners:
With eight new players on the Lakers’ roster, James wanted to get together early because of a condensed training camp that includes a trip to China. James hopes they get to know one another’s games in a closed environment in preparation for training camp and a rigorous 82-game schedule. After the practices, they will have team dinners.
During James’ time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, he organized mini-camps and is working on it with the Lakers. While it reportedly will be for five days, the Lakers need to maximize every opportunity to get ahead now.
As other teams will likely follow James’ plan, there is great optimism in Los Angeles. Along with the most talented duo in the league, general manager Rob Pelinka surrounded James and Anthony Davis with the right role players while committing to them for two years instead of just one.
From attending head coach Frank Vogel’s introductory press conference to organizing the team’s mini-camp, James is all in heading into Year 2. With so much criticism from the media, the 34-year-old should be extremely motivated to show he remains the best player and can win it all again.
