4 things to watch for during the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images – Los Angeles Lakers

1. How the Los Angeles Lakers’ new additions fit in

Typically a team coming off of a championship will run it back with mostly the same roster. Not Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers. They find themselves with the tall task of acclimating four new key rotation players.

Pelinka was able to bring in Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews, and Marc Gasol in what would be considered a very productive and successful offseason. These additions should make the Lakers an extremely deep team.

However, one of the top storylines surrounding last season’s team was the incredible team chemistry. The players on the team absolutely loved playing together. Throughout much adversity, they showed that they could pick each other up when needed.

Guys appeared not to become too concerned with playing time and were willing to make sacrifices when needed, something that is rare among professional sports.

It will be interesting to see if this new group of guys can recreate some of that same energy. Most championship contending teams will boast a regular rotation of about eight or nine players.

The 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers have at least ten players on the roster expected to receive plenty of minutes (not including Talen Horton-Tucker, who many believe will see an increased roll this season).

Will the Lakers’ players all get along similar to last season? Can the new roster additions gel with those carried over? There will be plenty of questions as the Los Angeles Lakers head into training camp and preseason.

While preseason is typically nothing more than a formality, expect to see some answers as the Lakers prepare to start their title defense.