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Los Angeles Lakers are unlike any team LeBron James has ever had

By Jason Reed

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 06: (L-R) Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers talk before a game between the Lakers and the LA Clippers during the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 06: (L-R) Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers talk before a game between the Lakers and the LA Clippers during the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are locked and loaded for a run at the NBA Championship with a team that is unlike any other team that LeBron James has ever had.

LeBron James gets a lot of flak that he may or may not deserve, all stemming back to his decision to join the Miami Heat. Since then, LeBron has been labeled as a ring chaser that is just trying to catch up with Michael Jordan. The one move that finally broke that mold was joining the Los Angeles Lakers last summer.

At the time, the Lakers were in the midst of the team’s worst playoff drought and had no real star power. The move was obviously made for non-basketball reasons, as Los Angeles was a better place for his family and opened entertainment doors that has now led to Space Jam 2.

However, we all knew that James would eventually get some kind of NBA Title-worthy supporting cast and this summer he got just that. The team was able to trade for Anthony Davis and added a slew of role players to gear up for this upcoming season.

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For the first time since moving on from Cleveland the first time, James has not been viewed as the one chasing a ring and instead has been the foundation for the Lakers to build upon. That is not the only reason why this stage of his career is different from his past, though.

If you look at the roster and the team that LeBron James has around him, it becomes clear that it is unlike any other team that he has ever played for. Maybe that is a good thing, maybe it is a bad thing, we are going to have to wait and see.

First of all, both teams that LeBron won a title with had an elite scoring guard that could take some of the pressure off of James. The Miami Heat had Dwyane Wade (albeit past his prime) and the Cleveland Cavaliers had Kyrie Irving, who had his best years thus far with LeBron in Cleveland.

Both teams also had stretch bigs as the team’s third-best player. The Heat had Chris Bosh and the Cavaliers had Kevin Love. Then there were the typical role players most notably the three-point specialists (Ray Allen and J.R. Smith).

There are some similarities there. The Los Angeles Lakers have some three-point specialists in Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, although KCP has taken a step back since joining the Lakers two years ago.

However, in terms of the stars that LeBron has around him, this team is completely different as it might not even be the traditional big three.

Davis is not an elite scoring guard or a stretch big man who is the team’s third-best player, although he can stretch the floor. Davis is a dominant big man who can score on the block, can score at the three-point line and has Defensive Player of the Year potential.

For the first time in his entire career, LeBron James might not even be the best nor most impactful player on the roster.

The team’s third star could be DeMarcus Cousins, who is a former All-NBA player that has not been himself since rupturing his Achilles. However, even at 80 percent of his former self, Cousins is an all-star and gives the Lakers this unique dynamic of size, shooting and ballhandling that we have never quite seen.

The Lakers would have three players all over six-foot-eight that can handle the ball, are playmakers and can score from virtually anywhere on the court. They can snag rebounds, and with Davis leading the way, can be much better defensively than some give them credit for.

Heck, we haven’t even mentioned Kyle Kuzma, who fits into this dynamic perfectly (aside from hit shoddy defense).

LeBron has never had a team like this and we might not have ever seen a team like this in the NBA. He no longer needs to take the bulk of the responsibilities and the scoring. He can take a step back and focus on creating chances for his teammates, knowing that the Lakers can score from virtually any point on the floor.

They are going to have the fastbreak offense of the 2010-2014 Miami Heat while having the positionless basketball that the Golden State Warriors made popular with Kevin Durant.

Next. Role players that will have a bigger impact. dark

The Los Angeles Lakers are unlike anything LeBron or the rest of the league has ever seen. And for that reason, fans should be very optimistic about the 2019 NBA season.

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