Two games into an arduous 82-game regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers are still working to mesh a slew of new players with veterans LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Even the players that returned this year are newcomers to the system, having arrived in Los Angeles at the trade deadline of the previous season.

The Lakers will look to contend for a title in 2023-24, and a big part of that will be the team learning to play well together. The offense has been a bit sloppy so far, but they are 1-1 after two games thanks to a stellar defensive effort against the Phoenix Suns.

James has played on many different teams over the course of his legendary 21-year career, so he is no stranger to the challenge of establishing a cohesive unit. In 2019–20, with almost an entirely new roster, he led the Lakers to another title. James isn’t concerned that the Lakers lack outstanding chemistry and teamwork because of this.

“I mean, it’s not where I want it to be, but that’s OK,” James remarked of the city’s persistence. Down the home stretch, we want to have things where we want them to be. You should know that we have some new bits to work into the system, and that this will take some time. Different lineups and personnel adjustments have been made on the court tonight as coaches continue to experiment.

It was me, C-Wood, AD, Gabe Vincent, and maybe AR or DLo in the fourth quarter. With Gabe, AR, myself, C-Wood, and AD all on the court at the same moment, I don’t think we’ve ever had that matchup before in any game. We’re still experimenting with different lineups and formations to find the optimal one. You know, and as we continue to play games and do whatever film sessions and things of that nature, we’ll see where we’ll work where minutes are logged when we’re playing our best basketball, and we’d be able to improve from there. It’s just going to take a while. Probably not in the place we’d like to be, but that’s fine. For the simple reason that I know we have no business being where I want us to be at the moment.

Despite that, James thinks this Lakers team has shown a lot of promise. James is not the type to dwell on nothing except the positive, and with this newfound optimism has come noticeable progress in key areas.

Despite the many positives, I am most proud of our approach to the task. At the start of the game, I don’t think we were giving it our all. We’ve thrown away a ton of bonus points and chances. We know that was the final straw a few nights ago in Denver. In the first half, it was quite difficult. We modified our approach. We had a conversation about it, and now it’s finished.

We knew we had to step up defensively if we wanted to win this game, and we did. And we rose to the occasion and completed the task. It’s great to know that you can count on an opponent or teammate to step up and challenge you. You have the flexibility to adjust and alter your course. Also, try not to take it personally. We are a team of trained experts. Obviously, the goal of everyone here is to triumph. Every night, we come together with the same intention: to win. That we can apply it in a mutually challenging manner is fantastic.

James has never been one to worry much in the early going of the season when the squad is struggling. In reality, several of his best teams have underwhelmed in the first half yet come out strong when it counted.

Whether or if the Lakers follow the same path is still up in the air, but James is confident in the team’s potential.

James talks about the peril of going over the allotted amount of time for gentle minutes.

Despite the agreement that James’ playing time would be capped at 28-30 minutes per game, he logged 35 in the Lakers’ triumph over the Suns. The fact that James played more of a defensive game on Thursday supports the notion that the 28-30 number is more of a guideline.

“He inquired if I could attend the quarter. When I considered the time, the score, and the status of the game, the decision was simple,” James explained. There is no doubt that we have a structure in place, and I am aware of the effort I have put in to be able to play quarters or whatever the situation may be. But I need to think outside the box tonight. Also, Coach Ham seemed quite chill. He intelligently deployed them, allowing me and my teammates to recharge so that we could finish strong. The coach had faith in me, and it was up to me to earn that faith.