On Wednesday afternoon, I did an AMA on r/Lakers to answer questions ahead of Thursday’s regular season road opener in Portland. Below are some of the replies:
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MT: My pleasure. Let's try to get all four:
1. From my perspective, LeBron is as good as it gets for those of us in the media. He speaks at least as much if not more than any other superstar, which is huge on its own. There are only three athletes in the world with bigger followings (at least on social media): Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar. And those international soccer stars very rarely address the media, especially in the settings we get in the NBA. On top of that, he's very knowledgeable, and he'll talk about things both on and off the court. Much like Kobe, LeBron raises the level of discourse because he isn't afraid to be honest in his responses to questions ... another way to say that is that if you ask a good question, you'll get a good answer.
2. I'd say the whole team in general has been mostly business in training camp ... and that's a good thing. Perhaps some cues are coming from LeBron and Rajon Rondo, but these Lakers young players are all very serious about getting better at basketball. Sure, you saw a lot of playfulness on social media from the young guys last year - and that's how it should be - but they put in a ton of work on the court as well. Both things can be true. So I wouldn't just isolate Kuz, but suggest that all the young guys have thus far loved having the new vets around and are soaking up as much knowledge as they can.
3. I like this question especially ... very nuanced. In any walk of life, when you're highly involved in the day-to-day of something, you're always going to notice that the outside perspective is more simplified. Think of doing a national show like P.T.I. (still my favorite) and covering topics across the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and so on ... of course there isn't going to be the same understanding about the Lakers as there is for someone who's at every practice. But sometimes that outside approach can be telling and helpful. So if you didn't watch the Lakers play every game last season, you probably don't realize that they were on track to be around .500 despite a rough start had Ingram and Ball played more games. And thus, if you add LeBron and Rondo to the rotation, and - if in fewer minutes - McGee and Lance, and build in more improvement from the young core because you know how hard they work - it becomes hard for me to buy the narrative that the Lakers are a big question mark to make the playoffs. In theory, LeBron can help close out games early as they figure out how to play together (which is a legit early concern given how the rest of the Western contenders almost all return at least 4 starters), and they get better as the season ends. So, I think of the Lakers as a very solid playoff team, behind the greatness of LeBron, the smarts of Rondo, the talent/hunger/energy of the young core, and a head coach that's already proven himself to really get guys to buy in and play hard. Maybe that's the difference between a 4/5 seed (which I think is totally fair) vs. the 6/7/8 seed that many seem to have predicted. A secondary thing: Lonzo was better than most realize last year. He basically replicated Jason Kidd's rookie year and led the team in net rating.
4. Thanks for shouting out my hometown. If I had to pick one, give me Chicago. I'm also biased there because I went to college nearby the Windy City, but I love it there.
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MT: Here goes:
1. I talked to Josh Hart and development coach Miles Simon after the season about what the young guys needed to do in the offseason, and while that was very encouraging to hear and see what was happening, it was still a leap to see Hart go for Summer League MVP as the 30th pick in the prior Draft. And he got better after Vegas, too. But I think all the young guys took a step.
2. Ingram is a lot stronger, and tougher, than he might look. He went through a lot coming out of Kinston, N.C., and there isn't a person around the team that doesn't respect him.
3. I'm not a betting man, but I'd give Golden State, Houston and Utah a continuity edge; the Lakers are right there, though, battling for a top 4 spot. I liked OKC more before Westbrook's 4th knee scope, and he's already missing games, so they drop a tad. Denver will get in, I think, benefiting from an excellent offense, though I think their defense (26th last year) makes more vulnerable in a playoff series. New Orleans and Portland will battle to hold off San Antonio, while Minnesota is a question mark regarding Butler's situation. If that works itself out, they're easily back in that mix.
4. Don't worry about that.
5. Like them for convenience purposes; always have them in my pocket for when I'm walking from place to place, running errands, or doing stuff around the house; also have to have some over-the-ear noise canceling ones for when the plane takes off, though!
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MT: I'll wait a bit to judge any of the new guys, as I like to sit down for a good 30-minute initial convo before drawing many conclusions. The one guy I've spent 10 minutes of 1-on-1 time with so far off camera is Rondo, who's super interesting. Of the guys on the roster last year, Kuzma may be the most outwardly funny, though Lonzo is very quick and clever as well. If you just watch the postgame interviews on Spectrum, you'll typically see Ball fire through his answers with considerable brevity - which I can totally appreciate - but 1-on-1, he's got a lot to offer when he expands. There's a reason that all his teammates like him. Then Ingram (really thoughtful, really insightful), Hart (confident and honest) and Zubac (funny, interesting) are very enjoyable interviews as well.
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MT: Look, that stuff is good, I don't care where you live or where you're from. Granted, it ain't cheap, so shout out to the Lakers for providing! I used to drink Mountain Dew on almost every flight, because I simply love the taste, but I changed over to Kombucha plus a lot of water because it still tastes good and is just a BIT better for me from a health/guilt standpoint. There's no MD on the plane anymore, but I'll still have one or two a week.
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MT: Very kind of you to say. I can't wait to watch games that count ... this promises to be quite an interesting season.
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MT: This was my tweet from Monday, when Luke Walton addressed it: "Lakers No. 25 overall pick Moe Wagner (knee contusion) is doing non contact work in practice, and some post-practice controlled contact with the coaching staff in a 3-on-3 setting as he works to get his wind back and knock off some rust." So, assuming there's no recurrence of pain, they'll continue to ramp him up until he's playing 5-on-5 with contact and still building his game wind. Could take a bit of time.
Towards the second point, I'm not sure I'd single out a single guy just yet, but if LeBron is a "new guy" in that sense, of course he's immediately going to fit however he wants with whomever he wants. He's so good, it's more about how he decides to utilize his various skills. It was hard not to notice some quick chemistry with James and Brandon Ingram, but also Lonzo Ball in those limited minutes they played together in Vegas.
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MT: Certainly Rajon Rondo. I'd say there's less separation than you might think. They're pretty well integrated. Sure, people are all going to listen when LeBron or Rondo speak, so those are the obvious answers. But Luke Walton - a great leader and the most important voice in the locker room - loves to spread this type of thing around to make everybody feel included, and is often encouraging the young players to speak up. Ingram, Ball, Kuzma and Hart weren't really vocal leaders last year, and they will now naturally defer to James and Rondo. But that's actually a good thing, and doesn't mean they won't be leaders in the long run. In fact, all four of those guys have real leadership qualities, and those will emerge differently as they grow in their careers, but having it develop naturally - as it has been - is a good thing. Last thing: one area where they started to lead even as young players was in really hard work, in helping establish the culture Luke (and Magic/Rob Pelinka) want. That kind of thing is huge for an organization.
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MT: I won't speak for the front office, but I will say that they seem to be constantly evaluating the roster. If there's a shortage at any position - and I get why you'd point out the five given the youth behind McGee and how he's played limited minutes for much of his career - they seem to have the flexibility to address it at some point. Whether through a trade, free agency, the draft, whatever ... everything does seem to be going according to the plan Magic and Pelinka laid out, and it's obviously not complete yet. I should add that they also clearly are looking at "positionless basketball," and therefore may not be as concerned in the context you laid out. We'll see Kuzma, Beasley and LeBron all play a nominal "5," but it's not like those guys will be banging traditional centers 1-on-1. They'll be trying to pull that big out of the paint defensively, and then switching, double-teaming, fronting on the other when going small.
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I did a piece last year looking at the Lakers training and support staff, including team nutritionist Kristen Andrews who definitely has an evolving and increased role with the team's eating habits. Of course, these guys are the best athletes in the world and could get away with eating habits that wouldn't work for normal folk like us, but the information linking eating habits to athletic performance is getting more and more clear, and many of the young guys are already taking advantage. On the road, I do benefit from the food on the plane - which is very good - but the players and coaching/training staff eat separately from those of us on the broadcasting/writing/PR/tickets/etc. staff at the team hotel. There's always a media meal at the road arenas, and then food on the plane subsequently, so I'm just having to account for a breakfast and lunch here and there often times. Of course, several of us will go out and try different restaurants in different cities (though I've been traveling for 11 years now, so I have my favorite spots in every city, naturally).
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MT: A LOT. I think Ingram is very clearly poised to be LeBron's Robin for this season. In fact, I wrote about it after Ingram dropped 31 points against SAC early in the preseason, in part because of how overtly LeBron praised him ("This is the year for him ... I believe in him. I know what his abilities are just being around him for these first few weeks. Every big shot we needed, every play we needed, he made down the stretch, and I love seeing his growth"). One of the more difficult things to do in the NBA is reserve SOME judgment and room for growth in young players, and when we first saw Ingram in a regular season game, he'd just turned 19. Now he's 21 (Sept. 2). He literally improved significantly in every category last season, which is evidence enough. But the reason people are so high on him internally (meaning the coaches, scouts and his teammates) is that they see how obsessed he is with being great. How he works. The basketball talent is obvious, but it's that hard work and that warrior (Ingram is a very, very tough individual) that calls for the big-time optimism. I mean, it didn't take LeBron long to recognize it, right? And he knows what it takes to be great better than anybody.
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MT: I like the way Lonzo would fit particularly with LeBron, because he's a versatile athlete that doesn't need the ball in the halfcourt like some traditional point guards, and obviously, you want LeBron to have the ball a lot. I also think Ball is a very willing 3-point shooter (5.7 attempts per game last season compared to Rondo's 2.3) who will hit more this season than people think, and he'll be wide open a lot on the weak side if teams continue to play him like they did last season. And, Lonzo is a terrific team defender who can switch to multiple positions, and his transition and ball-moving instincts can help get LeBron a lot of easy baskets that he just wasn't getting last year due to Cleveland's personnel, where he had to create most looks himself. Meanwhile, the idea of having Rondo out there to direct the 2nd unit (Lance, either Hart or KCP, Kuz and Beasley) is very appealing. In that sense, you'd want the ball in his hands more than he might be able to have it with LeBron on the floor. That's not to say that the inverse wouldn't work as well, and the bottom line is, having either Lonzo or Rondo on the floor to cover 48 minutes is a huge upgrade to L.A.'s PG situation last year.
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MT: I like the research behind the question. Almost automatically, your offense goes up with LeBron, though Top 5 is. That's obvious. I do think the pace remains top 5 (and have been debating with LeBron folk like ESPN's Jorge Sedano, who will point out that James has never been on a Top 10 pace team) because LeBron is of course great in transition and won't have any issues joining the kids when they get out and push. He hasn't had this many athletes around him perhaps ever (Miami he had other stars, but not a ton of other pacey guys like Wade, and Cleveland was more of a spacing team). Could be tough to keep the defense on the upswing it went last year (from 30 to 12) with a new 4 and 5, but the effort should be there. But to answer your question, I don't think they'll NEED to slow pace and ramp up LeBron's usage, except perhaps in crunch time, when he's so great in that context and the game slows anyway. They want to run, wear teams down, and capitalize on their strengths.
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MT: Thanks for the kind words! It's super early - literally one month in - but it appears that Ingram and Kuzma in particular never seem to be too far away from LeBron.
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MT: Walton hasn't officially given his starters, but we'd expect Rondo-KCP-Ingram-LeBron-McGee based on preseason practice and game flow. That could change for Game 2, but has always been the most likely line up based on Lonzo's ramping up from the offseason surgery. Ingram, LeBron and McGee have been locked in all month, while Josh Hart looked really good with the starters in his two games, as well.
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MT: I'd guess Kuzma finishes with the 3rd-most shot attempts (he actually was 1st last year, slightly ahead of Ingram). Then KCP 4th, unless Hart earns the starting SG slot eventually. If defenses continue to leave Lonzo and he enters the starting line up, he'll also get more shots up than you think.
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MT: I think you're on it. Though Ingram is of course a junior. Of the actual sophomores, I'd take Lonzo. Kuzma was really good as a rookie and his improvements (defense, his body) may not be as outwardly noticeable as his scoring was. Hart is also much better than he was as a rookie, but we saw a huge hint of that in Vegas. Lonzo, on the other hand, is poised for a louder improvement.
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MT: Always a pleasure to answer questions from r/lakers, since there are so many smart fans who elevate the discussion. The quick answer is really good. Luke Walton's created the type of culture in which things were pretty good even when the team was losing more games, but in any sport or walk of life, doing well is typically the best way to elicit positive feelings. This team expects to do well, but knows there is a long way to go.
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MT: I actually love coming to Portland; one of my favorite road trips. The Blazer fans are as anti-Lakers as anybody, and that's understandable given L.A.'s dynastic dominance over the years in the playoffs ... so that's made it a tricky game for the Lakers to win even when bringing their best teams to Rip City. You'll see ... it's going to be very, very loud. I'm excited to see the LeBron element introduced into it, because that move couldn't have pleased Portland fans! I'd just get in as soon as you can (hour and a half) and yes, watch warm ups. It's fun to see what guys do on both teams. And make sure to yell at me, Mychal and Ireland so we can say hi (Billy and Stu won't be here since it's a national exclusive TV game).
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MT: So far, it's been very positive between those two. I think they both recognize how much knowledge the other has, and they've been enjoying sharing it with the young players on the team, who are collectively very hungry to absorb it. There wasn't that same dynamic between the few vets and young guys last year, and that's no knock on the vets, there just weren't any players as experienced as LeBron and Rondo.