The 2018-19 LeBron James Thread

[clyde21]

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[eminence]

What do folks feel will constitute a successful season for LeBron in Lakerland?

[mdonnelly1989]

I think it will be fun to see Lebron in the West, but am I Excited knowing the Warriors could go 96-0. Not really.

[clyde21]

I still can't get used to this.

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[CumberlandPosey]

What do folks feel will constitute a successful season for LeBron in Lakerland?

making the playoffs i would consider success.doubt that the king sees that too...

[Statlanta]

He really has nothing to prove at this point. Winning in Cleveland has truncated his career accomplishments in my eyes. It might as well count like the Wizard years a retirement from competition if you will. Nothing but pats on the back and longevity awards. Too bad this stint won't be truly appreciated because he isn't on a team like a small market that necessarily needs him nor does this team do him any favors with the amount of success the franchise has achieved since inception.

[KTM_2813]

What do folks feel will constitute a successful season for LeBron in Lakerland?

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I genuinely think that he needs to focus on rebuilding his image as a tough player to play with. I am not saying that he is a bad teammate per se, but I would not want to play with the 2018 version of him. He needs to commit to an offensive system, be willing to let other players handle the ball, try on defense, and stop with the cryptic tweets. He needs to shoot for Tim Duncan/Bill Russell leadership status, even if that is probably impossible in the grand scheme. I don't think that other superstars are against the idea of playing with him, but I also don't think that the idea of playing with him is as desirable as it used to be.

[Franco]

What do folks feel will constitute a successful season for LeBron in Lakerland?

Anything from a 3rd-6th seed and a 2nd round non-sweep.

[IG2]

First preseason game as a Laker about to start in 30 minutes!

Very excited to see how he looks. Been watching full games from his last 2 seasons lately and I can safely conclude 2018 LeBron, once fully engaged (post-trades), is a better physical specimen than his 2017 self. Bigger and more explosive (his initial burst, especially). I would also call it his offensive peak. Don't think he's ever had a better combination of driving and shooting. Hopefully it continues as a Laker.

[JulesWinnfield]

Lebron is in incredible shape, but hes also wearing a kids size jersey lol... every time i see him in this Laker jersey it seems obvious he has taken it down a size or two lol... not hating, as someone who takes fitness seriously myself i am guilty of the same, makes it easier to spot since i do the same with my shirt choices... i wear a medium when i probably shouldnt, and id probably try and snuggle into a small if i wasnt 6’1” (the small isnt long enough especially after a couple washes)

I think hes also going with shorter shorts but not sure

[IG2]

Looks in great shape.

Lakers clearly looking to push the ball. I don't know how smart of an offensive strategy that is when your best player is 34.

[thebigbird]

So I've been worried that LeBron is fat and out of shape based off pictures. Do you guys think that's true or does he look like typical LeBron?

[JulesWinnfield]

So I've been worried that LeBron is fat and out of shape based off pictures. Do you guys think that's true or does he look like typical LeBron?

I think this is the best blend of bulk and cut he has ever been. Aesthetically speaking he probably has his best ever beach body at this very moment

[Heej]

Looks like a big component of this Laker offense is to run an action on one side of the floor and rifle it to the other side into an immediate pick and roll vs a tilted defense. I like it. Even when you see it coming it really stretches you thin

[toodles23]

Yeah I'm not worried about Lebron being in shape. It's preseason so he's not going to be taking it strong to the basket.

Also the lack of shooting is a major concern, the starting lineup is obviously not going to work long term.

Free throws form looks exactly the same as the end of last season, it would be nice if he could get it into the high 70s but that probably won't happen.

[JulesWinnfield]

It still feels wrong watching him in this jersey. But this is probably going to be one of the more fun teams of his to watch that we’ve ever seen... Yea in a perfect world Lebron is better suited to be surrounded by shooters, but id venture to say this is the most athletic team he has ever played on? And they move the ball, a lot of guys who can see the floor

I do think they are better than last years Cavs

[yoyoboy]

It still feels wrong watching him in this jersey. But this is probably going to be one of the more fun teams of his to watch that we’ve ever seen... Yea in a perfect world Lebron is better suited to be surrounded by shooters, but id venture to say this is the most athletic team he has ever played on? And they move the ball, a lot of guys who can see the floor

I do think they are better than last years Cavs

I would agree that they're better our team last year if they didn't add so many clear negative players who will be taking up a hefty amount of minutes. I'd venture that most of the time they'll have at least two of Rondo, McGee, Lance, and Beasley on the floor, and I don't think those lineups can be very good, as they'll have poor spacing and be prone to some ugly breakdowns on defense.

They could've added at least three of Tyreke, O'Quinn, Ariza, and Mbah a Moute for the same price and same years that they got the knucklehead quartet.

I'm expecting a lower middle of the back defense (17-19th) and an offense a little above average (10-12th), so something like 43-44 wins and the 8th-9th seed (depending on Minny trading Butler)

[trex_8063]

What do folks feel will constitute a successful season for LeBron in Lakerland?

idk. I didn't watch the Lakers much the last couple years, and they've got so many young players it's hard for me to gauge just how much talent they have around him. I suppose it depends on how much some of these younger guys develop, too.
He's also going to have to figure a way to play next to another fairly "on-ball" guy in Lonzo Ball, too.

tbh, I'd like to see him relinquish a little bit of control of the offense to the younger guys and allow them to develop, while taking a greater interest in the defensive side. I'd really like to see him become a legit two-way player again (though I'll settle for even passable defense, which was almost no where to be seen last year).
And Lebron's getting old. I think we were already seeing the start of decline last year (despite the big box numbers); it just happened almost entirely on the defensive end, which is somehow easier for people to ignore.

Overall, I don't have super-high hopes for them. If they manage 48-50 wins in this Western Conference and at least make the 1st round of the playoffs competitive, I'd consider that a fairly good success.

EDIT: I think they'll more or less be about as good as last year's Cavs, but in the WCF obv that isn't enough to get to the finals (probably not even the WCF).

[ronnymac2]

Western Conference is in decline while the East is brimming with potential behemoths. Part of the reason why I think this was a super smart move by The King.

Outside shooting is overrated. Despite 3-point shooting being better than ever, we haven't seen a record-breaking offensive rating in a season yet. Valuing the 3-point shot to so much a degree is linear, stuck-in-the-mud thinking. You can be better, or you can be different. Obviously with CLE they tried to be better and failed miserably. This Laker squad is trying to be different.

I do hope LBJ brings the short shorts back into fashion. If I had thick tree-trunk legs you can bet your ass I'd be wearing short shorts all the time, even in winter. LBJ looks tremendous in a Laker uniform, both aesthetically and also in terms of the marriage of hollywood and the game's brightest star.

[D.Brasco]

Iconic