On the third day of Los Angeles Lakers training camp, LeBron James fielded questions for the first time since Media Day (though he was the talk of camp on Wednesday).

The Lakers conducted a “basketball reflex” practice, deemed head coach Darvin Ham — a toned-down, non-contact session after two days of competitive scrimmaging. (Consequently, practice finished early, so LeBron conducted his scrum before a handful of reporters arrived.)

LeBron teased a role in Joel Embiid's commitment to Team USA, shed light on his preseason workload and Rui Hachimura's apprenticeship. The 38-year-old — who has displayed a “third- or fourth-year LeBron” burst in camp — also elicited a hilarious reaction from Jaxson Hayes after throwing down a self-alley-oop out of nowhere.

Despite being “100 percent healthy,” LeBron won't suit up for the Lakers preseason opener vs. the Golden State Warriors.

“Six preseason games, so hopefully I can get to at least half of them,” LeBron said. “But we'll see. I think every game will dictate it. I will not be playing in Saturday's game, that's for sure, in the Bay. But we'll see after that.”

Ham said the Lakers will “collaborate and communicate” with LeBron and the training staff as they manage him through the early part of the season.

“We make sure we come up with an effective plan,” said Ham. “The beautiful thing about the way we move forward is one, he's in phenomenal shape. Two, he's probably got more years in experience — outside of Anthony Davis — than the entire team combined … And he takes phenomenal care of himself.

” … The fact that our roster is what it is, he doesn't have to come start the season with his cape on … The help that he has around him will allow him to not have to be full throttle in every practice and every preseason game.”

Here's the Lakers' preseason schedule:

  • Oct. 7 — Lakers at Warriors
  • Oct. 9 — Nets at Lakers
  • Oct. 11 — Kings at Lakers
  • Oct. 13 — Warriors at Lakers
  • Oct. 15 — Bucks at Lakers
  • Oct. 19 — Suns at Lakers

Meanwhile, LeBron's tutelage of Hachimura continues to be a daily talking point. LeBron — who calls Hachimura his “understudy” and “Daniel-san” — revealed that Hachimura accompanied him on some offseason travel.

“Just Rui,” LeBron replied, when asked which Lakers he closely trained with over the summer. The two forwards were the last Lakers in the gym on Thursday.

News and notes:

  • Ham said he “definitely” knows who will join LeBron, AD, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell in the starting lineup but is not ready to disclose it. Each presumed candidate offers something useful — Hachimura: scoring/size, Jarred Vanderbilt: wing defense, Taurean Prince: shooting.

Hachimura — who has not slimmed down — said his primary focus is to go harder in the paint (a la his mentor).

“I’m just trying to attack the rim more. I know I’ve got midrange, but I’m trying to be more aggressive on the rim. I’ve been working out a lot, off the court, lifting, weight room, too. My body got stronger. I got more footwork. I’m just trying to get more easy points.”

  • There was no Jalen Hood-Schifino “MVP” talk on Thursday, though Ham did provide an update on a few youngsters. As with JHS, Ham wants Christie to have a louder presence on the court.

“Max had a great, great summer and I put the onus on him not just go out, try to really thrust himself into all of those minutes, be a leader for the team on the court, but also be vocal and really help the coaches out, partner with the coaches, and just get that much more familiar with what it is we want to do on the court … and to show that you're ready to punch your ticket in the rotation.”

Hayes singled out Christie's performance on Thursday. “Max Christie is a dog.”

Ham said “defensive focus” and increased aggression while keeping things simple on offense are critical for Christie to lock down a rotation spot. “Just simplify. Shoot the 3 when you're open. You put it on the floor, make sure you're going downhill … Stay competitive. Defend like there's no tomorrow. But keep it simple, yet aggressive offensively.”

On Cam Reddish: “Cam is a guy that I think hasn't had a consistent opportunity. And he has a lot of loving arms around him here. People know what he's capable of. I've seen what he's capable of … in the Eastern Conference Finals a couple years ago when he was with Atlanta and he played well then. Had a tough matchup with Khris Middleton and really excelled.” (I've personally heard that Reddish has impressed.)

On Hayes: “Just a live-wire. He's another guy that went through three coaches in four years in New Orleans. Just giving these guys some stability and the opportunity to grow without being pushed and pulled and have a box placed around them.”