Monday was media day for most NBA teams, and that included the Los Angeles Lakers, who are feeling especially good about themselves compared to recent media day sessions.
For the first time in three years, they have legitimate championship aspirations thanks to a well-stocked and potent roster. The roster also has an essentially unchanged core compared to last season.
Buy Lakers TicketsUltimately, how far they go depends on how well LeBron James performs, and that starts with his health. He was hampered by foot ailments last season, and it was a right foot injury that kept him out for a month late in the year and dogged him the rest of the way.
James said on Monday that his injured foot has reacted very well during the offseason (at 13:18).
“Obviously a lot of my attention this summer was with my foot and getting that back to pre-injury, pre-Dallas game where I pretty much tore the whole tendon on my right foot,” James said. “So this summer has been a lot about rehabbing that and getting it back to where it needs to be. It’s been reacting very well to my offseason workouts, looking forward to seeing how it looks throughout the preseason going into the regular season but excited to see where I am as it stands today.”
Health is issue one for James, especially given that he is 38 years of age and has suffered significant injuries in four of his five seasons with Los Angeles. The team reportedly plans to reduce his minutes and workload, which should, at least in theory, reduce his risk for injury.
