LeBron James has been his team's primary ball handler for the entirety of his career, but has never before started at point guard full-time. A position switch so far into a player's career would normally be an indication of decline. But not with James, who's passing genius and positional scalability has first-year Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel planning to start him at point guard for the first time this season.
Few are concerned about how the future Hall of Famer will acclimate. Among those fully confident he'll be able to handle it? Lakers guard Quinn Cook, who believes making James his new team's point guard is the best way to maximize its talent.
“I think it’s great. Obviously, LeBron can play 1 through 5. We have so many weapons with him being a primary ballhandler. I think it’s definitely going to work,” he said, per Ron Guttelman of Lakers Nation. “You got [Rajon] Rondo, myself, Alex [Caruso], guys who can playmake when LeBron is off the ball. I think it’s great to have that problem to have so many guys who can play that position.”
Vogel has yet to name his team's starting lineup, and Anthony Davis' recent admission that he still prefers to play power forward has perhaps rendered prior assumptions moot. James, Davis, and Danny Green will definitely be in the Lakers' starting five, with the final two spots decided between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Kyle Kuzma, and DeMarcus Cousins.
Cook signed a two-year, $6 million with the Lakers in free agency. He averaged 6.9 points and 2.1 rebounds for the Golden State Warriors last season, again proving his worth as an upper-echelon shooter. Expect Cook, arguably Los Angeles' best shooter, to play a key role off the bench.
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