LeBron James gives insight on his progression with his new teammates and reflects on his first training camp in the NBA
| 07:32
SAN DIEGO — The LeBron James era of Lakers basketball began on an orange court emblazoned by a silhouette of a surfer.
In this unlikely setting, a familiar sound surrounded James: the cheers of a packed arena. When P.A. announcer Lawrence Tanter boomed the introduction for a certain forward from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, the crowd lost their minds.
“It was great to get back on the floor and then start a new journey for myself,” James said. “Hear our Lakers fans that we have in San Diego. It was a great feeling to go out there and hear the roar of the fans here.”
The Lakers limited their superstar’s playing time in the preseason opener, as James saw only 15 minutes of L.A.’s 124-107 loss to Denver. It was a modest night for LeBron, who finished with nine points, three assists and three rebounds.
Looks pretty good, huh? pic.twitter.com/pkyprIJYlA — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 1, 2018
James originally only planned to play one shift, but decided to return to the game in the second quarter. He began his Lakers tenure with a no-look dime to Brandon Ingram, and also added a couple 3-pointers, including a slick step-back over Nikola Jokic.
“From wearing a St. Vincent-St. Mary’s jersey to a Cavs jersey,” James said, “from a Cavs jersey to a Heat jersey, back to a Cavs jersey [and] now being a Laker — it definitely feels different and will take a little time getting used to.”
LeBron finished with 9 points, 3 boards, and 3 assists in 15 minutes of floor time in his first preseason game as a Laker. pic.twitter.com/gdOuPSSNXm — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 1, 2018
James and the rest of the Lakers’ starters — Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ingram and JaVale McGee — largely outplayed Denver’s first unit.
Still, it was definitely a trial run for a Lakers team that has only put in one or two defensive coverages, and a handful of offensive sets. Some of the lineups they played haven’t even practiced together.
But it helps to have a four-time MVP in one’s corner.
“It was awesome,” coach Luke Walton said. “When you’re coaching the Lakers and look out and see LeBron wearing your team’s colors, it’s a pretty good feeling.”
McGee led the Lakers with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting (plus seven rebounds), as he was a constant lob threat, both in transition and out of pick-and-rolls. Ingram also knifed through the Nuggets’ defense, scoring 16 points with three steals.
Lance Stephenson provided an efficient punch of the bench, adding a dozen points on a 4-of-5 clip, including three sizzling possessions when he splashed against an opposing big.
Wonder if Lance Stephenson is enjoying having these big guys switch onto him? pic.twitter.com/nzfwlJQfrh — Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) October 1, 2018
Yet perhaps no new Laker had as much of an impact as Rajon Rondo, despite scoring only two points on three shots.
Rondo nonetheless showed his brilliance, dishing 11 assists in only 23 minutes. He began the game by immediately firing an alley-oop to McGee off the opening tip, and continued to dazzle with bounce passes, underhanded dimes and more.
Itr’s really fun watching Rondo pass the basketball.
First Quarter:
• Alley-oop off the opening tip-off
• Hard bounce pass to Ingram
• Flip to LeBron (while subtly boxing out Murray from contesting)
• Wraparound bounce pass to Kuz pic.twitter.com/WgYgO7gfZu — Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) October 1, 2018
For good measure, he also added seven rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
However, the Lakers’ reserves mostly struggled. With Lonzo Ball recovering from offseason knee surgery, the bench often found itself playing without a point guard.
A Stephenson 3-pointer gave the Lakers a 75-73 lead with 5:20 left in the third quarter, but they were outscored 51-32 the remainder of the way.
SAN DIEGO -- LeBron James' first game with his third franchise opened up with a pair of highlight-worthy plays in the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason debut against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
True to form, James' first tally in the stat book as a Laker was an assist off a no-look, wraparound bounce pass that found Brandon Ingram for a dunk.
Less than a minute later, following a Rajon Rondo offensive rebound and pitch out, James stroked a 26-foot 3-pointer with 9:12 remaining in the first quarter, securing his first bucket with his new team.
"It was great to get back on the floor and start a new journey for myself," James said after the Lakers' 124-107 loss was over.
Before tipoff, there was framed artwork stationed outside the Lakers' locker room at the Valley View Casino Center drawn up like a concert poster commemorating "LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers Debut," with James' image front and center, flanked by an artist's rendering of Lonzo Ball, Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart around him.
While James was the featured player on the poster, it was Ingram, not the four-time MVP and three-time champion, who filled up the stat sheet in the first half, as the third-year forward put up 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals to James' 9 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Ingram would finish with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
"I find rhythm with anybody who's very energetic offensively, and that's a guy who moves without the ball," James said of Ingram.
JaVale McGee led L.A. in scoring with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting, opening the night with a dunk off a lob from Rondo for the first of the point guard's 11 assists. James' night was finished after 15 first-half minutes, which he said were a little bit more than he expected to play, but he came out feeling good regardless. Kuzma (15 points on 4-for-13 shooting) started in his place in the third quarter.
Not that James didn't make his impact felt outside of the dazzling plays that brought the sellout crowd of 13,565 to its feet.
Case in point: When James checked out of the game with 3:02 remaining in the first quarter, the Lakers led by one. When he came back in with 7:21 remaining in the second quarter, L.A. trailed by 13.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled mightily whenever James was off the court in the last four seasons.
Whatever similarities can be drawn to his past experiences, James couldn't deny the significance of the night as a new milestone in his career.
"It always feels different for me anytime you change uniforms," he said. "It felt different when I changed from a St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey to a Cavs jersey, from a Cavs jersey to a Heat jersey, back to a Cavs jersey and now being a Laker. So, it definitely feels different, and it'll take a little bit of time getting used to."
Laker Nation isn't waiting to embrace the team, however. The excitement for this Lakers group that is clearly a work in progress was palpable from the start on Sunday. Close to 300 fans attended the team's morning shootaround in Temecula, about an hour from San Diego. And there was such a crowd of cameras in the Lakers locker room before the game that the Nuggets' defenders weren't the only bodies James found himself navigating.
"Excuse me, get away from my locker, please," James said as he made his way through the crowd.
Not long after, he took the court for the first time to play a game as a Laker and had to contend with Denver, another team, like L.A., hoping to make a run this season in what figures to be a crowded Western Conference playoff race.
"Everything," James said at the end of the night. "Everything. Got to get better at everything."
L.A. continues the preseason Tuesday at Staples Center with another game against the Nuggets.
Lakers coach Luke Walton has not figured out how much James will play in the rest of the exhibition schedule, but he has figured out one thing already, for sure, about James: "You know, you are coaching the Lakers and you look out and see LeBron in your team's colors," Walton said, "it is a pretty good feeling."
Ohm Youngmisuk ESPN Staff Writer
JaVale McGee got off to a great start as a Laker. He not only opened the game with an alley-oop but he got free for a couple more dunks while being active on the defensive end. The Lakers' lack of size inside could force Luke Walton to have to use McGee more than he would like, especially on nights when the Lakers face size and talent inside like Denver's Nikola Jokic.
