Lakers Rumors: LeBron James, Luke Walton to Discuss Preseason Plans

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and head coach Luke Walton are reportedly set to meet Friday for a discussion about how the forward will be used in the preseason.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com provided the update after James suggested Wednesday he could get ready for his debut season with the Lakers without any exhibition appearances.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't need preseason games [at this stage of my career] to get ready."

James played in one preseason game for the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. He scored 17 points in 30 minutes against the Chicago Bulls. He played all 82 games for the Cavs during the regular season en route to a second-place finish in MVP voting behind the Houston Rockets' James Harden.

That said, there could be a little extra pressure on the 14-time All-Star Game selection to appear during the exhibition slate, at least for the home games.

A Lakers official told McMenamin there's been "unprecedented demand" for preseason tickets after James joined the Lakers in the NBA offseason's biggest move.

Meanwhile, Walton said the new-look Lake Show will focus on the "basics" during the exhibition games to create a slow build toward the contests that actually count.

"Even if that means we run three plays for the entire game and we have to keep running them over and over, it's about getting to where we want to be by the start of the season," he said. "So it is more important in the sense we have to use these games as reps, but it's no more important as far as whether we win or lose the game."

The Lakers play the first of their six preseason games Sunday night when they take on the Denver Nuggets at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

L.A. opens the regular season Oct. 18 at the Portland Trail Blazers. As long as LeBron is healthy and ready for that game, his preseason involvement is virtually irrelevant.