Are they learning them? Well, kinda.
On the occasion of LeBron James’ first game back in Cleveland since leaving the Cavaliers (again) for the Lakers, it’s worth looking at some lessons L.A. can take from the Chosen One’s last stop.
We should note that LeBron spent four seasons back in Cleveland, and he signed a four-year deal with the Lakers. So while James is older now than he was four years ago (math whiz alert!), the timetables are similar. The Lakers know what they are up against.
So here are three lessons they should take from the last four years.
1. LeBron with shooters is a magical formula
The most mystifying thing about the Lakers’ rush to build a roster around LeBron was the lack of focus on adding shooters. The Lakers’ immediate moves were to acquire JaVale McGee (a rim-runner with zero range), Lance Stephenson (a playmaker with questionable range), Rajon Rondo (a famously shot-averse playmaker), and Michael Beasley (a decent if imperfect model for a LeBron carry-on).
LeBron needs dudes like Wayne Ellington, Brook Lopez (new Brook Lopez, at least), Nemanja Bjelica ... dare I say Nick Young? Instead, Josh Hart is the best shooter around LeBron.
The Lakers need three or four shooters like Hart going forward. Getting a superstar to pair with King James will obviously be the priority this summer, but Cleveland’s success with Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, and J.R. Smith around LeBron should mean that L.A. also looks heavily at guys who can make a long-range bucket.
2. It will be clear if LeBron wants a new coach
There’s already been a little friction between Magic Johnson and Luke Walton over expectations. Here’s the thing: LeBron will let you know if he’s unsatisfied with the coach. Wait on that.
David Blatt almost won a championship with Cleveland and had the team in decent shape in 2015-16 before the Cavaliers fired him. We still don’t really know how much credit/blame to give LeBron for that change, though it was clear to everyone paying attention that James and Blatt didn’t get along.
It will be clear, too, if LeBron sours on Walton. There’s no need for Magic or Rob Pelinka to get over their skis.
Now, making sure Walton’s lead assistant is suitable for a midseason takeover is important ... just in case. Right now, Brian Shaw— who didn’t exactly build confidence as a head coach in two years in Denver — is the lead assistant. It seems unlikely that Shaw will get a head coaching gig this summer, and it seems unlikely that the Lakers would move to bring in a name outsider to supplant or join him on L.A.’s bench. That would raise too many eyebrows about Walton’s future.
But that’s worth some attention, based on what the Cavaliers did.
3. Be patient, but watchful when pairing stars with LeBron
LeBron’s partnership with Love and Irving in Cleveland is both hopeful and cautionary. LeBron and Love got off to a rough start — it lasted all the way until Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, really — but eventually grew to understand, appreciate, and love each other. Love’s game changed dramatically in LeBron’s shadow, but he got tens of millions of dollars, All-Star nods, and a championship ring out of it. He seems to have appreciated all that.
Kyrie, however, does not seem to have appreciated that, seeing as he requested a trade a year before LeBron left. Irving was younger than Love and, as a playmaking guard with celebrity on his mind, bristled at being in LeBron’s shadow. None of LeBron’s young teammates are good enough to have that problem right now, but that’s worth watching if Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball turn into stars.
Love’s gradual acceptance of life with LeBron is worth remembering too when whichever star (if any) joins the Lakers this summer and has a rough transition to learning how to play with James.
Patience will pay off. It did in Cleveland.