LeBron James makes his much-anticipated debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
We’ve got you covered right here before, during and after the matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers with previews, predictions, expert analysis and live reaction.
Predictions and projections
Meet the crew: The vets
Just about every team with postseason aspirations has a veteran or two on one-year deals, hoping to find a good fit while preserving flexibility for the future.
The Lakers have five of them — four newcomers, plus the returning Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. How will they fit around LeBron James this season?
Rondo re-established his place in the league during the 2018 postseason, reminding everyone that “Playoff Rondo” was still a thing by averaging 12.2 APG as the Pelicans reached the second round. Rondo and James have developed a fast bond as the vocal leaders of the group. James publicly pined for playing with smart teammates like Rondo when he name-dropped him at a news conference during the NBA Finals.
“I was studying his whole playoff performance,” Rondo told ESPN. “It’s funny [to hear him] saying that because watching him play, I was at home at the time, and I was just thinking, ‘How can I make his job a lot easier?'” — Dave McMenamin
After all those playoff battles between James’ Heat and Cavs versus Stephenson’s Indiana Pacers teams, the four-time MVP calls Lance a “dog” in the most affectionate way. And simply put, James is glad that dog is now on his side and barking up another tree.
“When I’m on that court, I just feel like someone’s trying to take something from me,” Stephenson told ESPN. “And when I’m out there, I just look at everybody on the opposite team like, ‘You not going to take this from me. You don’t want it as much as I do.’ … That attitude is contagious, and I think it’s going to spread throughout the team.”
The Lakers experimented with Stephenson playing backup point guard during training camp with Lonzo Ball coming off knee surgery. But his ultimate role will be as a spark plug off the bench. — D.M.
Beasley is the only player on the Lakers’ roster to have teamed with James before, during James’ final season in Miami. In that brief stint as teammates, James developed an appreciation for Beasley’s advanced offensive skills — so much so, sources told ESPN, that last season in Cleveland, James’ camp had interest in the Cavs somehow acquiring Beasley from New York at the trade deadline.
L.A. will look to Beasley for scoring, of course, but his true value could come if he can play capable minutes at the 5 to help out with the Lakers’ thin frontcourt rotation. They were trying it in camp. — D.M.
Speaking of a thin frontcourt, McGee — who once bulked up to 280 pounds as his preferred playing weight — is around 240 this year thanks to a vegan diet, which he says has allowed him to last this long in the league. After averaging fewer than 10 MPG with the Warriors, he says he welcomes an expanded role with the Lakers, but that will depend on how often coach Luke Walton relies on his small-ball lineups.
Still, McGee showed enough promise in training camp to make it clear that he’ll be an integral piece for the team all season. — D.M.
The Lakers are banking — exactly $12 million for the year — that Caldwell-Pope will shoot even better than last season, when he averaged 13.4 PPG on 38.3 percent 3-point shooting. Caldwell-Pope struggled while serving a 25-day in-season sentence for a probation violation, but the guard shot better than 42 percent from deep in January, February and March.
Walton has told KCP to shoot whenever he has an open shot. After not signing a single shooting specialist in free agency, the Lakers are counting on KCP to be one of their best 3-point shooters this season. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Meet the crew: The young guys
James knows he will need to eventually rely on these players — all age 23 or younger — to bring youthful energy during the season.
“That’s why I’m here,” James said.
From the moment James took the floor for the first time as a Laker in the preseason, he had his eyes on Ingram — developing chemistry, building his confidence. Ingram might be the most important Laker aside from James, and he’s best suited to be L.A.’s No. 2 scorer.
He averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG while also taking major strides playing point guard in Ball’s absence last season. The Lakers will give Ingram chances to be a playmaker, but he will have to do his most damage running the floor and finishing, moving seamlessly and attacking a ton off the ball while James draws the opponent’s best defender. Ingram will have to become a consistent defensive force with his length while also knocking down open 3s. — O.Y.
Kuzma came into camp having worked on adding weapons to his offensive arsenal. But perhaps the most important thing he added was muscle. Kuzma has spent much of the preseason getting used to playing center, which could be vital to the Lakers’ success. Walton wants to go small and load the floor with offensive weapons and interchangeable defenders.
If Kuzma can hold up on defense, it could keep James from playing tough minutes at center in small-ball lineups and perhaps limit foul trouble for McGee. — O.Y.
After nursing a torn meniscus for most of the offseason, Ball has to stay on the court after missing 30 games last season due to injuries. His rebounding, ability to push the pace and finish in transition could help him thrive.
With more versatile scorers and playmakers around him and less of the spotlight, Ball could take a step forward, but he will have to hit catch-and-shoot shots. It also remains to be seen how much he plays, with Rondo already establishing himself as a leader and likely starter. — O.Y.
Hart took massive strides in the offseason, winning Las Vegas Summer League MVP honors and showing that he can be more than a 3-and-D guy. Hart proved he can be a valuable starter with his ability to do all the little things — defend, rebound, knock down the open shot and finish.
Hart was the Lakers’ best defender in the post as a rookie, and he worked on playing the 4-spot in the offseason for potential small-ball lineups. James will appreciate Hart’s toughness, versatility and overall solid consistent play. — O.Y.
ICYMI
Can LeBron attract a superstar free agent to the Lakers?
“You have to be resilient. I had a lot of hard nights. There were dark times,” Kevin Love told Brian Windhorst on playing with James. “But I always believed keep fighting, I was stubborn about it. And LeBron makes sure you have a chance to win every year. He’s gotten a lot of guys rings. You’re going to win at the highest level. We won and we bonded, and we’re going to continue this brotherhood.”
NBA tiers: Lakers in rock-solid playoff teams, tier II
“I slotted the Lakers into the playoffs even before the Jimmy Butler fiasco ensnared the Timberwolves. They should be a lock given events in Minnesota, and the impact of Dejounte Murray‘s bummer of an injury.” — Zach Lowe
The Atlas of LeBron James: How the King became an offensive force
“The story of James transforming from inefficient rookie into NBA scoring champion is one of a player learning how to attack defenses with his ferocious blend of speed and strength to create scoring chances in the paint. That’s still the key to his scoring portfolio now.” — Kirk Goldsberry
Inside the Lakers’ plan to push the pace with LeBron
“The 2018-19 Lakers, with all of their fresh parts and mix of young and old, intend to come out of the gates running. Literally. Throughout training camp, X’s marked the spots deep in the corners — taped on the court by Lakers coach Luke Walton — as a reminder of where he wanted his wings speeding to when the ball changes possession. — Dave McMenamin
High Noon’s No. 1 must-watch team
“It’s an ensemble cast that could lead to high jinks. But neither Magic Johnson nor LeBron James is here for jokes. The Lakers aren’t a contender, but Michael Beasley is right … at least about his teammates. Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee have played big minutes in big games. They can win. It’s just more fun to watch when they don’t. — Bomani Jones
Must-see video
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LeBron James will make his regular-season debut for the Lakers against the Rockets on Oct. 20. Watch the game on ESPN and the ESPN App.