Los Angeles Lakers season opener vs. Portland Trail Blazers

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LeBron James made his much-anticipated debut with the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night.

Here’s what you may have missed in Portland’s 128-119 win:

First reaction to LeBron’s Lakers

The season opener only supported the preconceived notions we held about the Lakers coming into Thursday: Los Angeles can run (outscoring Portland 34-12 on fastbreak points); Los Angeles can’t shoot (starting 0-for-15 from 3 en route to a 7-for-30 night); and Los Angeles is much better when LeBron James in on the floor than when he’s not (Lakers were outscored by five points in the 10:40 that James sat). Another thing we knew: LeBron struggles to get wins in Portland, losing his sixth in a row at the Moda Center; Los Angeles has lost 16 straight games overall to the Trail Blazers. — Dave McMenamin

Every NBA team scores better in transition than half court, but we saw in Thursday’s loss in Portland why this difference might be pronounced for the Lakers. They were terrifying when they ran off turnovers, misses and even the occasional make, using their quickness and multiple ballhandlers to get easy scores. But too often the Lakers’ offense bogged down in the half court due to lack of shooting. The Lakers missed their first 15 3-point attempts, and while they’ll improve on that, offseason concerns about adding non-shooters were validated Thursday — when a 34-12 edge in fast-break points wasn’t enough. — Kevin Pelton

With 3:18 left in the third quarter, trailing by three, the Lakers went to a small-ball lineup featuring two point guards (Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball), Josh Hart, Lance Stephenson and Kyle Kuzma at center. They played fast and got hot early, with Hart and Rondo making the team’s first two 3s of the night, rushing L.A. out to a lead. The Trail Blazers countered by playing big, controlling the paint and going on a run, but Hart hit a trey at the buzzer to end that session with the Lakers having shaved a point off the lead. That lineup is one to watch going forward. — Andre Snellings

Welcome To Showtime

LeBron’s first dunk as a Laker from every angle

Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Photo

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More live reaction

A concern heading into the season was whether the Lakers had enough perimeter shooting around LeBron James. In the first half, the Lakers opened the season going 0-for-12 from behind the arc. Brandon Ingram and Lance Stephenson were both 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom the Lakers are hoping will be one of their best shooters this season, made two free throws but was 0-for-0 from the floor in the half.

Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer2h ago

The King has Arrived

ICYMI

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

LeBron James calls Lakers debut “First step in long journey”

It felt like a major event, bigger than your typical season opener, with all the hype that has followed James joining the Lakers. Before the Lakers madness started, James listened to his pregame music while wearing a Nike T-shirt with an ad of himself wearing a Lakers jersey. — Ohm Youngmisuk

The Atlas of LeBron James: How the King became an offensive force

“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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1:06

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

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1:54

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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0:34

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

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