1 stud and 1 dud from Los Angeles Lakers preseason loss to Kings

Stud on the Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James

We’re not surprised, right? This is going to be a main theme for the regular season. LeBron had his best game of the preseason with 30 points off of 12-for-20 shooting, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 29 minutes of play. During the first half, James scored 19 points in 18 minutes.

A main reason that LeBron played so well was that he wasn’t forcing his shot. His field-goal percentage speaks for itself. The fact that he was able to get into a groove even though he’s sharing the court with both Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook is encouraging. One of the things about James is that he’s going to find a way to make it work, regardless of the circumstance.

He’s 36-years-old and is the leader of a team that’s primarily made up of veterans. The Lakers started James, Davis, Bazemore, Jordan and Westbrook in the final preseason game. That lineup is subject to change, with Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza out, but Anthony is the youngest starter at the ripe age of 28.

Los Angeles is going to have to be able to go the distance if it hopes to make it to the NBA Finals in June, and that’s going to start with James. If something positive happens on the Lakers, the basketball world looks to LeBron. If something negative happens on the Lakers, the basketball world looks to LeBron. The records show that King James performs better under pressure and there’s a lot of pressure on Los Angeles to make its experimental lineup work.

It would’ve been promising to end the preseason on a high note, but James’ performance was still uplifting. There’s been a lot to look at under a negative light for the Lakers, but LeBron has boosted spirits heading into the highly-anticipated showdown against the Warriors.