LeBron James: Lakers 'Still Trying to Get Familiar' with Each Other After 0-4 Start

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James expressed his belief Wednesday night that a lack of familiarity has played a role in L.A.'s disappointing 0-4 start.

Following a 110-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets, James told reporters: "It's a new system. It's a new group of guys together. We're still trying to get familiar with one another."

While James and Anthony Davis are back as the core of the team, much of the supporting cast has changed, plus the Lakers have a first-time head coach Darvin Ham following the firing of Frank Vogel at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.

Russell Westbrook did not play on Wednesday night due to a hamstring injury, primarily leaving James and Davis to share the court with players who either didn't play or weren't on the team last season.

Lonnie Walker IV, Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, Troy Brown Jr., Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson were among the players who saw significant minutes against Denver after not playing at all for the Lakers last season.

None of them had particularly strong performances Wednesday, and it didn't help that LeBron had a down game as well, finishing with just 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting, with nine assists, seven rebounds and a game-high eight turnovers.

While it has been an ugly start to the season for the Lakers, Ham believes it is still possible to turn things around, saying: "We're four games [in] and it sucks to lose, but we have 78 games left. It's plenty of time for us to right the ship. And it starts now."

The biggest issue for the Lakers is the fact that they are somewhat hamstrung by Westbrook's $47 million salary this season.

Westbrook doesn't have much trade value on the heels of his struggles last season in his first year with the Lakers, and without shipping him elsewhere, the Lakers don't have the room to acquire other players.

The Lakers also don't have many valuable assets to trade since they dealt many of their draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the deal for Davis.

That trade paid dividends, as the Lakers won an NBA championship in 2020, but they are suffering the consequences currently.

There is added incentive to turn things around and get in the playoff mix this season since the Pelicans own the Lakers' 2023 first-round pick, which is presently in line to be among the top selections.

The Lakers are coming off a disappointing 2021-22 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs due in large part to James and Davis missing time with injuries, but even with a healthy LeBron and AD this season, L.A. has not come close to looking the part of a playoff team.