LeBron James' new situation will come with its challenges. Finding chemistry with his new teammates is one the first challenges he'll face. Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant believes that James' ability to command the defense could lead to big changes for the young Lakers.
Kobe to @stephenasmith on LeBron with Lakers core: 'They have a lot of offensive versatility. The true test comes on the defensive end. That is where LeBron is really, really great at, talking and his energy… that is where I look for changes and if they do that, who knows'
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) July 2, 2018
Bryant's defensive credential holds up. The former Laker made 12 NBA All-Defensive squads and was a lockdown defender until his body gave out on him down the stretch of his career.
James is joining a young and inexperienced core. His experience can go a long way towards helping the Lakers' defense take another step forward. Los Angeles was 12th in the league in defensive rating in 2017-18.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were 29th in the league in defensive rating last season. But the blame doesn't fall entirely on James' shoulders. In fact, James helped will the Cavaliers' defense through tough stretches during the playoffs. He was surrounded by a poor defensive squad. Putting him alongside talented and young defenders will surely showcase his ability to captain a defense.
Of course, one of the quickest ways to make the Lakers an elite defensive squad would be to trade for Kawhi Leonard. That would involve breaking up the young core, but it may be something that the Lakers feel they need to do. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year would allow LeBron to play off the ball defensively and roam as a help defender.
But Kawhi or no Kawhi, the Lakers defense should be one of the better units in the league. James' experience combined with young talent could prove to be scary good. Their ceiling will depend on how good they can become defensively.
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