1. Minutes Management
Davis has battled injuries in his career and has played a large number of minutes in New Orleans. James started to show signs of wearing down last year battling multiple injuries throughout the year before being shut down when the Lakers fell out of the playoff race.
With the Lakers not getting a big-name free agent, it opened up the chance for the Lakers to build depth, and with that depth, it will give them a chance to rest AD and James on certain nights. By doing this it will allow them to put less wear and tear on their bodies and still win games. When the playoff push comes, those guys around their superstar duo will be better equipped.
Bringing in guys like Danny Green, Jared Dudley, Avery Bradley and keeping Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee, each of those guys knows what it takes to win. When you mix them with a James or an AD and alternate off nights, they will still beat lower-level teams.
Losing DeMarcus Cousins is a blow but the market allows for some flexibility. Father time is undefeated and James showed that it may be catching up to him last year so this will be very important to monitor.
Managing minutes goes a long way to making sure the team is healthy come April. Being able to rest players up late in games and getting them nights off will be big for this team. This method paid huge dividends last year with the Toronto Raptors and worked so well for the San Antonio Spurs in the past. You want your big-time players fresh for when late-season games start to ramp up.