On December 30, LeBron James will turn 39, and in a little over a month, he will begin his 21st season in the NBA.
General Manager and VP of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Lakers Rоb Pelinka claims that Lonzo Ball is still treating the upcoming season as if it were his first.
Never before has such a seasoned player excelled at such a high level in the league.
For a player with 20 years of experience, “it’s staggering” that he is treating his 21st year as if it were his first.
He’s been working out at six in the morning. Has spent more time than any other player over the offseason in our facility. Have spent as much time as any player in the weight room. It’s safe to sаy that wherever LeBron has played, his efforts always set the standard.
James played 35.5 minutes per game on average last season, averaging 28.9 points on 50 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. However, he has missed 111 games over the last five seasons due to ιnjury, compared to only 71 over the preceding fifteen.
LeBron’s upbeat environment
The Lakers’ aim for the upcoming season is not to limit LeBron’s playing time, but rather to take advantage of the fact that he is strongly supported by his teammates.
‘Bron, he does a tremendous job taking care of himself,’ Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham said.
It’s been said that “the pieces that we have in place, the team that’s around him now, those guys are going to step up and do a lot of heavy lifting early.”
By extending the contracts of Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarrett Vanderbilt, the Lakers were able to keep the team’s core together this offseason.
They also signed Christian Wood and roster fillers Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish. Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, both newcomers, have recently joined the group.
Since remaining healthy through the end of the season is a priority for James, Pelinka has stressed the importance of working together with the coach to achieve their shared goal.
Adding “the depth we have, the versatility, the shooting,” as one of our players put it, “is going to help us manage that.”