As coaching camp approaches for the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready to bounce again from a disappointing 2023-24 marketing campaign. They made nearly no offseason additions, and whereas many are predicting doom for them, some really feel like they’re underappreciated or ignored.
Though the Lakers have a roster stuffed with many competent and higher gamers than some declare, they are going to finally solely go so far as LeBron James takes them. He is coming into his twenty second season, however he is nonetheless taking part in at a excessive stage, and one other season of any such play most likely will not shock many individuals at this level.
If James achieves these three targets, it could assist the Lakers take a step ahead.
1. Maintain taking pictures a excessive share from 3-point vary
Traditionally, with one or two exceptions, James has by no means actually been an excellent 3-point shooter, however within the 2022-23 season he has struggled on this space and made solely 32.1 % of his 3-point makes an attempt.
Final season, nevertheless, he turned the kind of long-range sniper he by no means actually was earlier than. He shot 41% from downtown, which was a profession excessive. He shot 40.6 % from downtown throughout the 2012-13 marketing campaign, however he tried a comparatively modest 3.3 pictures that yr and was extra selective when letting it fly at this distance.
It seems Los Angeles will likely be taking pictures extra 3-pointers this season beneath new head coach JJ Redick. Subsequently, it is rather vital for James to proceed taking pictures above league common on this division.
2. Settle for a lowered workload
James is three months away from turning 40 and simply helped lead the U.S. males’s basketball crew to an Olympic gold medal this summer season. For a number of years, some wished him to play fewer minutes, and though there was discuss of it earlier than final season, it by no means got here to fruition.
Regardless that James’ 35.3 minutes per sport final season was his lowest in three years, it was nonetheless too excessive for somebody with a lot put on and tear on him. The Lakers must maintain him contemporary throughout the additional time interval and the playoffs whereas lowering his threat of fatigue and harm.
They will do that not solely by lowering his minutes, but additionally by asking different gamers, comparable to D’Angelo Russell, to tackle higher ball dealing with and facilitate tasks.
3. Keep wholesome
Since becoming a member of the Lakers in 2018, James, who has been very sturdy in earlier seasons, has turn out to be considerably harm susceptible. He solely performed in 55 video games throughout his first yr in Los Angeles, and two seasons later he appeared in solely 45 of a doable 72 video games.
Final season, nevertheless, he performed in 71 video games, which was a pleasing shock.
Taking part in fewer minutes and having a lighter workload ought to cut back James’ harm threat. However avoiding harm is partly about luck, and it stays to be seen how fortunate he and the crew basically will likely be.
This text was initially revealed on LeBron Wire: Lakers Participant Objectives for the 2024-25 Season: LeBron James
