It seems LeBron James is not completely over the effects of last season just yet. Arguably, the worst season- filled with terrible decisions, whether you admit it or not. Whatever issues came to the surface in 2023-24 had, in fact, started the year prior. Of course, you can just chalk it all up to the mistakes of the front office and the stakeholders. However, when you peel the layers, a clearer picture emerges. And perhaps that’s when Bron felt that he should have paid more attention to the coaching side, as well.

The 22-season veteran made sure to clarify that during his chat with the media after the Lakers’ first day of practice. “I’mma lead by example, my voice is very commanding. But I’ll be an extension of the coaching staff on the floor,” he replied to a reporter who asked if he planned to just let the coaches ‘do their thing’. Clearly, the ‘King’ had his priorities straight for the upcoming season.

And the first part of the agenda was to create a proper system to abide by throughout the year. An area in which JJ Redick seems to be doing a good job. “Right now we are getting our system put in place. Not only JJ’s voice is being heard, all the other coaches’ voices is being heard. We just all taking it in and trying to dial it in and get better with it,” James further added.

It was no doubt an indirect dig at how Darvin Ham’s tenure with the team went. It’s been widely publicized that the former Laker was hired more for his people skills than the clipboard ones. With a basketball genius and a proper NBA veteran like LeBron James beside him, the Michigan native did not necessarily need to be the nuts-and-bolts guy, either. However, things weren’t so easy.

Ham’s first season with the team, despite the miraculous turnaround and the Cinderella run to the Conference finals, had something of a rocky end with his players. It primarily had to do with his rotations, for example, his tendency to go with guard-heavy lineups no matter how big the opponents were. Needless to say, it continued to the next season. And at an even crazier pace.

Take, for instance, the Purple & Gold’s situation after an unbelievable 7-0 run to clinch the inaugural In-Season Tournament title. In the 10-13 record of the Lakers post-IST, the team went through six different starting lineups! Suffice it to say, Ham, trying his hand at being an elite tactician, ended up hurting the team rather than really providing anything of value.

And as a first step, LeBron James made sure that his teammates were protected.

LeBron James clarified his stand (and the team’s) on the expectations for the 2024-25 season

“We don’t have any expectations. That’s unfair to put any expectations on us right now,” the 4x champion said. No stepping around the edges or trying to deflect the question. And with good reason. While their last season left a lot to be desired, with Darvin Ham’s reluctance not to use the starting five that went all the way to the playoffs in 2022-23, everything that happened after the early playoff exit kind of set the stage for this year.

The brilliant Olympics showing of not just the ‘Akron Hammer,’ but also his best mate, Anthony Davis. The return of the said core roster and the addition of the new coach would naturally put them on the run to be contenders again. However, King James had no plans of putting the spotlight on Los Angeles just yet.

Especially not when there could be mishaps early in the season. After all, the team does need time to adapt to the new regime. And so far, the 20x All-Star looks quite happy with how everything is shaping up to be. Hopefully, we will see a renewed Lakers squad this time. Thoughts?

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.