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The Los Angeles Lakers of LeBron James must be seen to be raw. James made his official debut in a Los Angeles jersey Monday at media day, posing for photos with his new teammates and answering reporters' questions.
Seeing James in a Lakers jersey is surreal even though the ink in his contract has been dry for months. Here is a first glimpse of James with the young Lonzo Ball Lakers core, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram:
Ball, Ingram and Kuzma have combined play in 267 NBA games throughout their brief career in the NBA. James played 1,382 games with 239 playoff games.
What is even more surreal is that the other Los Angeles players signed this summer in uniform for the first time. The Lakers' decision to add JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley was not a joke. This will be LeBron's teammates this year:
James's last challenge could be the biggest of his career. He is attending the Western Conference for the first time in his career, and he does so after reaching the NBA finals in the East for eight consecutive seasons.
The Lakers only won 35 games last year. Even by adding the best player in the world, they are not competitors, and James knows it.
LeBron on the warriors: "We have a long way to go before we can catch Golden State … we can not worry about what Golden State is doing.
– Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) September 24, 2018
The success of James in his first year in Los Angeles is not limited to reaching the finals again, which no one expects to see Lakers. The LeBron Lakers want to see the development of young players like Ball, Kuzma and Ingram. They want to win enough games to make the playoffs in a tough West conference. More than anything, they want to appear as an attractive destination for free agents next summer, while they have limited space.
"I do not think the only success in scoring a season is winning a championship. There is only one champion. But that does not mean you have not succeeded. pic.twitter.com/Nni3GaBIvz
– Bill Oram (@billoram) September 24, 2018
LeBron said it was like the "first day of school" for him, which is the right attitude to have. The Lakers have a long way to go:
Kawhi Leonard is not going through that door for the Lakers, at least not yet. See LeBron James in a Lakers jersey with this support distribution is a serious reminder of the challenges he faces in his first year in Los Angeles.
If nothing else, at least he has a few other things on his plate to keep him busy.
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