I have no idea.The Lakers have waived forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon and guards Damion Baugh and Scotty Pippen Jr, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha ( Twitter link). But I don’t know what the end of this road looks like or the end of this season. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and getting to training camp going and getting going. “I don’t know,” James said on whether the 2023-24 campaign will mark his last year. James also expressed uncertainty on whether he would exercise his player option to return for the 2024-25 season. After all, James conceded “it feels different getting out of bed every day” at 38 years old than he did at age 21. Both splits traced back to the Lakers’ roster construction around James.ĭon’t be surprised then if the Lakers scale back James’ workload even more in his 21 st NBA season. Consider the difference in minutes that James averaged during the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title season (34.5) and when they missed the playoffs in 2021-22 (37.2) James also carried a different workload last season before the All-Star break (36.3) and afterwards (32.2). To win that championship, the Lakers may still try to scale back James’ workload. Written by experts, for sports fans who want a FREE daily newsletter worth reading. If I can do that, that is the sense of urgency for me in order to put ourselves in a position on where we want to be. So the sense of urgency comes from me always with preparing myself for the long haul and being able to put myself in a position to lead these guys every single night. I know when I’m on the floor that it makes us a better team. “I prepare my mind and my body and my soul to go out there and be available to my teammates. “I have an urgency to perform at a high level so I can be out there for my teammates,” James said. Nonetheless, the Lakers’ success still heavily depends on James’ health and production. The Lakers enter the 2023-24 campaign with superior reinforcements. Then, the Lakers dealt overlapping injuries, lack of depth and struggles with Russell Westbrook’s fit. The Lakers also anticipate they won’t have to lean on James as much to carry the team as he did to begin last season. “But there should not be much teaching when it comes to us getting back on the floor.” We’re not going to cut any corners, whatever the case may be,” James said. After the Lakers’ Game 4 loss, James then suggested that he may retire. James reported that he “pretty much tore my tendon in his right foot,” which resulted in missing 13 games from February to March before playing with varying success and struggles during the Lakers’ post-season run. Not only did James weather frustration with the Nuggets sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. 30, dealt with his own basketball mortality in recent months. He suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice on July 27, which then resulted in being taken to a nearby hospital and intensive care unit before being formally discharged.

James’ recent adversities hardly compare to what Bronny experienced. I give the biggest compliment and biggest shoutout and biggest praise to the USC training staff and coaching staff.” “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to have him where he is today.

“If he was to walk through the door right now, you wouldn’t even know he had what he had because of how well he’s moving and how vibrant he is,” James said of Bronny. But the man above has definitely given us a lot of strength and has given Bronny a lot of strength to bounce back.”Īfter experiencing what he described as a “whirlwind,” James reported that “Bronny is doing extremely well” and has “begun his rehab process to get back on the floor this season” ahead of its opener against Kansas State on Nov. It’s been a lot for me and it’s been a lot for our family. I can only imagine how it’s been for him. To see what he had to go through or what he’s been through the last few months, it’s been a lot. “No matter what is going on … the only thing in life that matters is your family. “I’m going to dedicate this season to Bronny because the incident that happened this summer and understanding that it puts everything in perspective,” James said at the Lakers’ media day on Monday at the team’s practice facility. The reasons also largely has to do with James’ son, who recovered from cardiac arrest this summer during an off-season practice before his freshman season at USC. They even went deeper than James’ quest to win his fifth NBA championship after the Denver Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. But the reasons went beyond fulfilling his two-year, $97.1 million contract with the Lakers. Undoubtedly, he would return for his 21 st NBA season.

Los angeles lakers roster 2021 to 2022