Lakers unsure how quite a few preseason games LeBron James will play

A selection on how numerous preseason games LeBron James will play has but to be determined.

James was requested following observe Friday how a lot of preseason game titles he needs to participate in.

“More than I played past calendar year,” James said. “How lots of did I participate in final calendar year? Far more than I performed last yr.”

Very last time, James played in 3 of the Lakers’ 6 preseason game titles.

With a new coach in Darvin Ham, a new procedure and just six players returning from previous season’s team, the system for James actively playing preseason video games is being labored out.

The Lakers’ preseason opener is Monday evening from the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

Ham said he and James haven’t had a discussion about how much the superstar will engage in in the preseason.

“My staff and I, we’ll get to that, male,” Ham mentioned. “We really don't want to go ridiculous, but we also want to have it be enough where by we can establish a rhythm, can be in game manner with a good rhythm likely into the standard period.”

Ham explained that they will “figure all of that out” in the coming days.

“Obviously we have these variety of factors on our board and on our laundry listing of matters to get carried out,” Ham claimed. “But our concentration has fully been on making an attempt to create a fashion of engage in on both sides of the ball, build our ideas and make guaranteed we’re executing the standard basis of who we are and what our id will be. But definitely my coaching employees and I, we have had light-weight conversations about what that’s heading to glance like, how several preseason video games, how lots of minutes.”

James, 37, is commencing his 20th NBA time. He performed in 56 of 82 online games past year with the the greater part of video games missed due to the fact of a remaining ankle harm.

However, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 helps and shot 52.4% from the field.

He’s healthy now and heading whole bore in training camp.

“It’s just the next one for me,” James stated. “It’s been exciting obtaining back on the floor, finding again with the device and just doing the job our habits. Hoping to get much better every single working day. Stack your times and preserve on stacking them and go from there.”

Ham coy about starters

After 3 times of coaching camp, Ham was questioned if he has determined on his beginning 5.

“Not but,” he said, “but we’ll get there.”

Ham did expose that guard Kendrick Nunn and heart Damian Jones have invested some time actively playing with starters James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbook.

“It’s been superior,” Ham claimed. “It’s been genuinely, seriously excellent.”

Nunn skipped all of previous year mainly because of a bruised correct knee bone.

Now nutritious, Nunn has proven signs of getting the dynamic participant the Lakers signed to a two-yr offer last 12 months, main Ham to say his 6-2 guard has appeared “phenomenal” in camp.

“He experienced a really, seriously fantastic day nowadays. He’s been good. I suggest, been great,” Ham mentioned. “Shooting the ball properly, making the appropriate reads, defending. Genuinely experienced a excellent defensive day as perfectly as an offensive working day currently. So, he’s executing really, really perfectly.”