LeBron James is doing everything he can to build chemistry with the Lakers before the season starts.
The veteran has started organizing a minicamp for his team in Las Vegas before the Lakers' training camp officially starts at the end of September, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who cited unidentified sources. The initiative is intended to help the players become more comfortable with each other after the Lakers added eight new players during the offseason.
“It’s meant to galvanize and bond this Lakers unit right before the start of the real training camp that begins in Los Angeles in September,” Charania reported. “It’s really showing the premium that teams and star players are putting on team chemistry going into a very important NBA season — a true free-for-all NBA season for maybe the first time in five or six years.”
Our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports on LeBron James starting to organize a Lakers team minicamp, and the premium on team chemistry around the league. pic.twitter.com/jmGsoCptWB
— Stadium (@Stadium) August 7, 2019
The Los Angeles Times reported the sessions are expected to last 2 1/2 hours with a team dinner afterward and will be at Impact Basketball. Each player is paying for himself. The minicamp is scheduled for Sept. 22-26, with the Lakers' official training camp starting on the 28th.
The Lakers acquired six-time All-Star Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade with the Pelicans that saw Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, considered at one point to be the future of Los Angeles, go to New Orleans.
The Lakers also added DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green and Quinn Cook, among others in free agency after Kawhi Leonard signed with the Clippers.