Los Angeles Lakers season opener vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Rajon Rondo

Rondo re-established his place in the league during the 2018 postseason, reminding everyone that “Playoff Rondo” was still a thing by averaging 12.2 APG as the Pelicans reached the second round. Rondo and James have developed a fast bond as the vocal leaders of the group. James publicly pined for playing with smart teammates like Rondo when he name-dropped him at a news conference during the NBA Finals.

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“I was studying his whole playoff performance,” Rondo told ESPN. “It’s funny [to hear him] saying that because watching him play, I was at home at the time, and I was just thinking, ‘How can I make his job a lot easier?'” — Dave McMenamin

Lance Stephenson

After all those playoff battles between James’ Heat and Cavs versus Stephenson’s Indiana Pacers teams, the four-time MVP calls Lance a “dog” in the most affectionate way. And simply put, James is glad that dog is now on his side and barking up another tree.

“When I’m on that court, I just feel like someone’s trying to take something from me,” Stephenson told ESPN. “And when I’m out there, I just look at everybody on the opposite team like, ‘You not going to take this from me. You don’t want it as much as I do.’ … That attitude is contagious, and I think it’s going to spread throughout the team.”

The Lakers experimented with Stephenson playing backup point guard during training camp with Lonzo Ball coming off knee surgery. But his ultimate role will be as a spark plug off the bench. — D.M.

Michael Beasley

Beasley is the only player on the Lakers’ roster to have teamed with James before, during James’ final season in Miami. In that brief stint as teammates, James developed an appreciation for Beasley’s advanced offensive skills — so much so, sources told ESPN, that last season in Cleveland, James’ camp had interest in the Cavs somehow acquiring Beasley from New York at the trade deadline.

L.A. will look to Beasley for scoring, of course, but his true value could come if he can play capable minutes at the 5 to help out with the Lakers’ thin frontcourt rotation. They were trying it in camp. — D.M.

JaVale McGee

Speaking of a thin frontcourt, McGee — who once bulked up to 280 pounds as his preferred playing weight — is around 240 this year thanks to a vegan diet, which he says has allowed him to last this long in the league. After averaging fewer than 10 MPG with the Warriors, he says he welcomes an expanded role with the Lakers, but that will depend on how often coach Luke Walton relies on his small-ball lineups.

Still, McGee showed enough promise in training camp to make it clear that he’ll be an integral piece for the team all season. — D.M.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

The Lakers are banking — exactly $12 million for the year — that Caldwell-Pope will shoot even better than last season, when he averaged 13.4 PPG on 38.3 percent 3-point shooting. Caldwell-Pope struggled while serving a 25-day in-season sentence for a probation violation, but the guard shot better than 42 percent from deep in January, February and March.

Walton has told KCP to shoot whenever he has an open shot. After not signing a single shooting specialist in free agency, the Lakers are counting on KCP to be one of their best 3-point shooters this season. — Ohm Youngmisuk

ICYMI

“The story of James transforming from inefficient rookie into NBA scoring champion is one of a player learning how to attack defenses with his ferocious blend of speed and strength to create scoring chances in the paint. That’s still the key to his scoring portfolio now.” — Kirk Goldsberry

Inside the Lakers’ plan to push the pace with LeBron

“The 2018-19 Lakers, with all of their fresh parts and mix of young and old, intend to come out of the gates running. Literally. Throughout training camp, X’s marked the spots deep in the corners — taped on the court by Lakers coach Luke Walton — as a reminder of where he wanted his wings speeding to when the ball changes possession. — Dave McMenamin

Must-see video

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LeBron James talks about fitting in with his new team, winning a championship and his minutes.

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Dave McMenamin looks at how much better the Lakers are with LeBron James, but suggests they need a little “more magic” to get to a championship.

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On Oct. 29, 2003, LeBron James makes his NBA debut for the Cavaliers against the Kings.