Lakers News: LeBron James' Minutes, Kyle Kuzma's Shoe Deal and More
The Los Angeles Lakers will begin an exciting new era on Thursday night when they take to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in their first regular-season game of the LeBron James era.
After five straight years at or near the bottom of the league, the Lakers are hoping for an instant return to playoff contention with James in purple and gold.
The four-time MVP and three-time champion is surrounded by a promising young core of players who could eventually become part of a championship team, though probably not this year (see: Golden State Warriors).
With the regular season about to get underway, there's seemingly no shortage of news coming out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest from Tinseltown.
LeBron James' Minutes to be Limited
While Lakers fans are certainly ready for as much LeBron James as they can handle, the Lakers don't seem keen on throwing him out on the court for 40-plus minutes every night.
"We want to make sure we're not only playing at our best come the end of the season but that he's fresh," head coach Luke Walton said, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "And that's a goal for us. And it's a goal that we're on a journey and it's not a one-year journey. We're continuing to try to and be our best season by season, but also as each one goes on."
This is a completely sensible policy. The Lakers are still trying to figure out exactly what they have in this team and aren't rushing to win a title with James under a four-year contract.
There's no clear No. 2 player on the Lakers. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma or Brandon Ingram are the most likely candidates, but they have a combined four years of pro experience.
The ragtag assemblage of veterans that is the Lakers' new-look bench—JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and Rajon Rondo—has the potential to be pretty good, but there isn't enough defense there to win a title right away.
Walton didn't give a specific range of minutes per night for James, but he said it would be "reasonable," according to McMenamin.
James averaged a league-leading 36.9 minutes per game last season. Fans can probably expect to see the 33-year-old playing closer to 30 minutes a game, perhaps even fewer to start the season if the team is winning, and then slowly ramping that number up if the team is jockeying for playoff contention.
James, who is entering his 16th year in the league, also commented on his health and prospects after playing in all 82 games last season.
"Didn't have a number [of games in mind] last year," James said this week, per McMenamin. "Just go out and if my body is feeling good, I am out there. If my body is not able to perform at the level that I would like to play for my teammates, then I won't."
It would be a surprise if James plays all 82 again this year. It wouldn't be a shock if he ended up with a nagging injury or two that has the Lakers brass putting him in bubble wrap immediately. Plus, if the Lakers are comfortably set up in an upper-tier playoff spot with little chance of getting a higher seed, James could well sit a couple games toward the end of the regular season.
Kyle Kuzma signs 'GOAT' Shoe Deal
Kuzma emerged as one of the more pleasantly surprising rookie success stories last year. The 27th overall pick ended up outshining Ball, the No. 2 pick, thanks to his instant ability to find a role on the team and playing well in 77 games last year (compared to Ball's 52).
As an exciting fresh face in the league's second-biggest market, it should come as no surprise that the 23-year-old forward is locking down a shoe deal, though one that's less conventional than most.
According to ESPN.com's Nick DePaula, Kuzma has signed a deal with GOAT, a sneaker-reselling app. While GOAT sells all kinds of shoes, Kuzma will still only be wearing one brand on the court for now, per DePaula:
"Kuzma, currently entering the final season of a shoe deal with Nike, is the first brand ambassador for the GOAT app. He'll continue to wear only Nike brand products throughout the season, and he also is expected to use the app partnership for his pregame arena-arrival footwear."
It looks like the partnership with GOAT will allow Kuzma to generate buzz with his kicks both on and off the court. The second-year pro cited the league's relaxed restrictions as part of his impetus for signing the deal.
"Now that the NBA has removed restrictions on the colorways we can wear on court, I can be as expressive as I want," Kuzma said, per DePaula.
It seems like the GOAT app will help Kuzma track some of those rarer shoes down. The emerging app is smart to partner with an emerging player like Kuzma (16.1 points, 6.3 rebounds per game as a rookie), who will have thousands of more eyeballs on him each night with James now on the team.
Season Opener Notes
It's finally here. The Lakers will begin their regular season on the road against Portland at the Moda Center. The game will nationally televised on TNT starting at 10:30 p.m. ET.
According to TrailBlazers.com, Moritz Wagner and Alex Caruso have been ruled out for the Lakers. The Trail Blazers' Maurice Harkless (left knee) is probable.
Last year, the Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 35-47 record. The Blazers were third with a 49-33 record. They make for a perfect opener for Los Angeles, as their record and amount of success last year make for a solid benchmark for this new-look Lakers team.
The Warriors and Houston Rockets are likely to go 1-2 again in the Western Conference, but beyond that, the situation is murky.
If the Lakers' younger players improve by the leaps and bounds they are capable of, and James is as healthy and sublime as ever, they could well end up with a No. 3 seed—though the likes of the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder (and others) will have something to say about that.
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