There hasn’t been a single game played yet for the 2019-20 NBA season but even still, the new-look Los Angeles Lakers have given fans a lot to be excited about.
Unsurprisingly, the Anthony Davis trade from the New Orleans Pelicans is a huge win, but it’s also the way in which members of the Lakers have talked about one another.
So far, each member of the Lakers roster and staff have received universally positive messages from one another, including lead assistant coach Jason Kidd. Despite a controversial run as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach, Kidd has gotten nothing but positive praise from head coach Frank Vogel.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that Kidd is now endlessly complimenting Davis. Davis is unanimously recognized as a great player in this league, but the praise from Kidd goes a step further, via ESPN:
“When you talk about Anthony Davis… he can put the ball on the floor, he can pass. We all know he can shoot the three, he can post up, defensively block shots, rebound. He has the total package and that’s why he’s one of the best players in the world. And so for us to be able to have him with LeBron and Kuzma and Rondo and some of these other guys on the team, it just makes it that much easier. This will be his first time playing with someone like LeBron, so this will be a great learning experience and process for him, too.”
Obviously, it’s easy to praise one another in this way when games haven’t been played and mistakes haven’t been made. But this Lakers team seems to be meshing in a way that many new teams fail to do so quickly. LeBron James openly struggled with head coach Erik Spoelstra when he got to the Miami Heat, and that ended with two championships in four seasons.
It will be interesting to see how all these moving parts come together when the season begins, but there’s certainly reason for optimism within the organization. And because of that, it’s likely that fans will begin to feel that same sense of confidence in the team.
The Lakers will also have the benefit of a relatively light schedule in their first 15-20 games of the season, giving them a better chance to get off to the hot start they may need when March and April rolls around.