LeBron James will be the first to tell you that the Los Angeles Lakers had a truly disappointing campaign last season. There's just no denying that L.A.'s title defense came up significantly short. Things have changed considerably for the Lakers this offseason, though, and LeBron himself has revealed the one big difference for the Purple and Gold as they try to recapture the crown in 2022.
The Lakers' revamped roster is definitely going to be one of the most crucial aspects of L.A.'s title hopes this coming season. For LeBron, however, it's all about getting some proper rest during the summer:
“Last year, coming off the bubble, it literally took everything away from you,” James said after practice on Thursday, via Jacob Rude of Silver Screen & Roll. “Any little bit of energy that you had, it was completely gone when we left there. So, to come back into the season with the quick start that we had, kind of life for the party was a little bit just, like it was kind of stale (and) rightfully so. Guys just didn’t get an opportunity to have a mental break. You could definitely feel the energy shift a lot more this season the first two practices compared to last.”
The Lakers looked flat when they kicked off their title defense last year, and injuries got the better of them throughout the season. All this can be partially (or mostly?) attributed to their extremely short offseason last year. This time around, however, a rejuvenated Lakers squad should scare the rest of the NBA.
LeBron also opened up about how the extended offseason has allowed him to recharge his batteries ahead of what should be a grueling season:
Article Continues Below“I got a little bit of time for just me but… the movie I was shooting two years ago dropped this year,” James said. “So I had to do a lot of stuff for that but I do a lot of other things but you know I did get an opportunity to get some me time, family time, some friends time, recalibrate, recenter myself. I took advantage of the time that we had off just away from the game while at the same time putting in more work and coming into camp in the best shape I can be to this point in the season.”
A lot of players say that they're in the best shape, but when it comes to LeBron, you know it's absolutely true.
Anthony Davis also had a similar experience over the summer. He also believes that the Lakers being able to get proper rest will have a significant impact on their season:
“Oh yeah for sure,” Davis said. “Not just me. I think all of us. All of us feel great. We feel good. We’re flying up and down the floor, where we kind of took it slow last year because we had that short offseason. But me personally, I feel great, body feels great. I’m ready to go.”
The Lakers clearly aren't messing around and they will be playing with a chip on their shoulders this coming season. The rest of the league better watch out.