Lakers' new star trio could be unstoppable … or combustible

LOS ANGELES — In just a few plays, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook demonstrated how they can become the NBA’s most dominant trio. In just a few plays, James, Davis and Westbrook also showed how they can become the NBA’s most dysfunctional trio.

Not that any of the highlight reels and blunders mattered that much. Their first game together coincided with the Lakers’ 111-99 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Staples Center. Never do NBA championship teams look the same in October as they do in June. Never do their opponents for that matter considering the Warriors rested stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

“James stated, “We’re exercising patience during this process and acknowledging that there will be times of frustration. We realize that we’ll have instances where we seem to regress. However, if something is valuable, it’s worth striving for.”

Nonetheless, a single game is sufficient to expose the numerous strengths and weaknesses that James, Davis, and Westbrook possess.

The strengths?

Davis (20 points), James (17 points, four assists) and Westbrook (10 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) offered plenty of scoring punch, partly fueled by their offensive brilliance and partly fueled by their defensive execution.

"It's all about being patient with the process and understating that we're going to have frustrating moments." LeBron James with @LakersReporter on being patient with the #Lakers building chemistry & understanding with a largely new roster. pic.twitter.com/uYrkZVz3ir

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 13, 2021

Westbrook linked up with James on fast-breaks and also assisted Davis with effortless baskets. He demonstrated his aptitude to both launch an attack in transition and forgo that chance to pass to a more available teammate. These abilities contributed significantly to the Lakers’ trio’s role in propelling the team’s 15-6 spurt in the first 4:06 of the third quarter.

“Davis said, “We observed some impressive performances when I, Bron, and Russ were in action.”

The weaknesses?

James, with six turnovers, and Westbrook, with five, provided numerous mistakes, partly due to their hectic play and partly due to their mutual unfamiliarity. Westbrook made forced passes into the post and across the court. Both Westbrook and James lost control of the ball after driving inside.

Westbrook did not even score until midway through the second quarter. Following the Lakers’ double-digit run to open the second half, the Warriors went on a 21-3 tear with all three of those stars on the floor.

“During the season, we’ll experience highs and lows, and face challenges,” said Westbrook. “What’s important is that we’ll grow together, united in our efforts.”

James, Davis, and Westbrook have the potential to power the Lakers to their second championship in three seasons. However, they also have the potential to falter at the most critical moment.

Anthony Davis tells @LakersReporter what he liked from the #Lakers Big Three in tonight's preseason matchup at Staples. pic.twitter.com/81giKoqNa2

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 13, 2021

How long will it take for the Lakers’ stars to understand how to operate their engine effectively?

“Honestly, I don’t have the answer to that,” admitted Westbrook. “It’s a question that everyone keeps bringing up. There’s no concrete answer to it. We’ll approach the game like any other team and find our way. There’s no rush to figure it out by the 18th or 19th of October, or whenever the first game is.”

The Lakers have one more preseason game in Sacramento on Thursday (10 p.m ET, NBA TV) before their actual season opener next week. Then, the Lakers will play a Warriors team that will feature Curry’s long-range shooting skills and Green’s defensive intensity. After that, the Lakers then face the Phoenix Suns, which dropped L.A. in the first round of the playoffs en route to a Finals berth in 2021.

Despite the initial challenging matches, it may be hard to imagine the Lakers struggling with a 1-4 start as they did in the 2012-13 season. Following this, the Lakers have potential victories against teams that are in the process of rebuilding, such as games in San Antonio (Oct. 26), in Oklahoma City (Oct. 27), and a three-game home series against Cleveland (Oct. 29) and Houston (Oct. 31, Nov. 2).

L.A.’s failure to secure a win through five exhibition games set them on a path that echoes the 2012-13 team. The latter, which attempted to merge new stars like Dwight Howard and Steve Nash with existing ones such as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, ended the preseason with an 0-8 record.

"Nobody has an answer for that…we're going to play and figure it out. We have one goal in mind and that's to win a championship." Russell Westbrook on when the #Lakers stars will start to 'click'. pic.twitter.com/UUBOsZ6zr3

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 13, 2021

“Reaching our peak performance may take the entire year,” stated Lakers coach Frank Vogel before the game. “In an ideal scenario, we would be at our best just as we enter the playoffs. However, we’re determined to start strong right from the get-go and get things clicking as swiftly and efficiently as possible.”

Once the game started, the Lakers certainly began with a lot of energy, but this resulted in some over-enthusiasm.

The first act concluded with Carmelo Anthony securing a trip to the free-throw line after taking a 3-pointer with only a second left on the shot clock. After successfully making the foul shots, Anthony missed the next two plays. Post a block from Davis, Westbrook and James made successive turnovers. However, almost two minutes later, thanks to the Lakers’ defense and Westbrook’s playmaking, James managed to score six points within a 30-second window.

The Lakers are determined to ensure that the trio’s game-time displays more successes than mistakes, understandably. They also admitted that their performance in the pre-season games will likely reflect their performance in the regular season. To be a Lakers’ supporter, tolerating the irritating errors might be the price one has to pay to experience the thrilling victories.

“Expecting some rough nights early in the season is reasonable,” said Vogel. “However, despite similar expectations two years ago, we started the season quite strongly. That’s what we’re aiming for this time as well.”

However, the Lakers’ situation two seasons ago greatly differs from their current one.

Undoubtedly, the Lakers faced numerous challenges during that season. Their training camp in China was disrupted. They suffered a profound loss with the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Amidst a global pandemic, their season was halted and then restarted three months later in a campus bubble, ultimately leading to their victory in the NBA title.

Regarding the challenges of the X’s and O’s? The Lakers needed to strategize on how to integrate James and Davis with a new coach and eight new players. However, they quickly realized that James and Davis were an ideal match. James fulfilled his promise of making Davis the offensive centerpiece, while Davis allowed James to take charge of the offense.

This season, the Lakers must strategize how James and Westbrook will divide ball handling responsibilities, determine their pace of play, and decide how frequently they will seek out Davis, other team members, or make their own plays.

Beyond ironing out chemistry with their three main stars, the Lakers already have some dents in their championship armor. Veteran forward Trevor Ariza (ankle) is out at least seven more weeks, third-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker (thumb) will miss another month while Wayne Ellington (left hamstring), Malik Monk (right groin) and Kendrick Nunn (right ankle) are also nursing mild injuries.

“As a leader, my primary responsibility is to keep from becoming frustrated,” stated James. “If I can maintain my composure, I believe it will positively influence everyone else. I’ve always been someone who strives for excellence, but I also understand that good things take time. As long as I stay focused on our main goals and remain balanced, regardless of what’s happening with our team, we will be alright.”

Just as they have for the past two seasons, the Lakers intend to rely significantly on James and Davis to highlight their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. While the Lakers are eager to build a strong rapport with Westbrook, they have deliberately separated James and Davis from him. This strategy allows James to continue playing the point and scoring in isolation, while Davis maintains his role of receiving lobs from seasoned guard Rajon Rondo, whom the Lakers applaud for his active participation in practice, film reviews, and coaching meetings.

Vogel said, “Not only Russ, but all of our news guys are going to face this case. James and Davis are most familiar with our system and each other. They’ll bear the main responsibility in this aspect, but we need everyone to get off to a strong start.”

This underscores the dilemma that all hastily formed star teams encounter.

“Typically, much of this is time-consuming,” stated Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach. “The silver lining is that if you have a team that desires to be united, they will devote themselves to each other. This appears to be the situation here. They all have the desire to be a unit. They’ll work it out. They’re all intelligent and exceptional players.”

Hence, it’s improbable that the Lakers will experience a repeat of the 2012-13 turmoil that involved Bryant, Howard, Gasol, and Nash all having different views on how to combine their skills. These Lakers have discussed forming a strong bond during an unofficial camp in Las Vegas, film sessions, and group texts. However, it might be a bit far-fetched to draw inspiration from other teams of championship quality.

Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors and Kevin Durant went through a learning phase in their inaugural 2016-17 season together. However, they quickly clinched back-to-back NBA titles thanks to Durant’s successful integration of his scoring prowess with Curry and Klay Thompson. James, on the other hand, can draw from his experiences of teaming up with Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Nonetheless, neither Miami nor Cleveland managed to secure an NBA title without first facing defeat in The Finals. The Lakers, in contrast, may not have the privilege of time for such patience this season.

“Each challenge is unique. Each year is unique,” James stated. “I can’t compare any past team or any past situation to this year. This year is about the amount of effort we can exert and the level of determination we have to continually improve.”

This year also revolves around the ability of James, Davis, and Westbrook to synergize their skills. The spectacle could potentially be both captivating and chaotic.

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Mark Medina is a senior writer/analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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