Signing LeBron James this summer is one thing. Getting the team to gel well is another challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers.
With plenty of new pieces and fresh faces on the team, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson recently discussed during a conference call how long he thinks it would take for Los Angeles to develop chemistry, per Sam Amick of USA TODAY.
“I think the one thing that we have to, and the fans have to, be patient about is the chemistry on the court, because we’re putting together basically all these guys will be new to each other, right?” Johnson said in a conference call. “It’s probably going to take us at least a month or two, probably closer to two months, to really understand how to play with each other and how to read each other, all those things.”
Indeed, the Lakers are sailing towards the 2018-19 season on a boat with a newly configured crew. LeBron James is unquestionably the biggest addition to the team, as the four-time league MVP has already signed a titanic four-year deal worth $153 million with the Lakers this summer. Apart from James, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and JaVale McGee are the other veterans calling Los Angeles their new NBA home. That’s not to mention the pair of rookies in Svi Mykhailiuk and Mo Wagner.
It’s a different team now for the Lakers, and as with any other squads in the past which underwent an offseason facelift, growing pains are part of the process of players learning to adjust according to the styles of their teammates.
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