LOS ANGELES, California – LeBron James is gearing himself for the start of his 21st NBA season by working out hard and getting to the gym early.

The best scorer in NBA history will be able to relax a little easier this coming season, according to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who thinks he has put together a roster.

LeBron is entering his 21st year, so all of that was done with that knowledge. Because reaching the finish is his objective, we must work in tandem with him to make it happen. We will be able to manage it with the depth, versatility, and shooting that we have added.

In order to create a strong contender around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who will lead his colleagues back to training camp next week, the Lakers kept much of their squad from last season and added several potential new players. Pelinka wanted to see what his club could accomplish with a full year together after watching them go 18-8 after the trade deadline before winning a play-in game and two knockout rounds.

The Lakers figure to have their best squad since hoisting their last championship banner in late 2020 thanks to full seasons from midseason additions D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura along with five new veterans.

Darvin Ham, the squad’s coach, said, “We have, top to bottom, exactly what we feel is a highly balanced, knowledgeable, athletic, and younger team of guys who have been playing a ton of NBA minutes.” “These players who are coming in hungry to contribute and keen to demonstrate their ability to have a positive impact on winning could be surrounded by both (James) and AD. That will enable us to use (James’) game-to-game minutes more effectively. He qualified under the rest rule’s grandfather clause. That made me delighted to see.

LeBron, in fact, is one of a select group of extremely seasoned NBA veterans who are qualified for special rest exemptions under the league’s new player participation rule, which is intended to encourage teams to use their star players in more games. However, Pelinka and Ham, who supported the approach, agreed that James or Davis would not miss many games if they were healthy, which has not always been the case in recent seasons.

The group of players we have in place around (James) right now, according to Ham, “are going to step up and do a lot of the heavy lifting early.”

While adding Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood to their roster, Los Angeles kept Davis, Russell, Austin Reaves, Vanderbilt, and Hachimura from the Western Conference finals team from the previous season.

The three-year, $186 million pact for Davis, the talented big man who has been great in Los Angeles when he is not struggling with ailments, was the Lakers’ largest financial commitment.

Since he is only 30 years old, Ham added, “He’s got a long, long road ahead of him in terms of how he can manage the franchise to success and possibly put some more championships up here.” I am looking forward to the year he is going to have.

The Lakers, according to Pelinka, were eager to wager against their massive player.

Anthony Davis is someone we believe in for who he is, according to Pelinka. In life, nobody can stop unforeseen health events from occurring. We believe that at the age of 30, he is approaching the pinnacle of his career.

Russell and Reaves, who both renewed their contracts with the Lakers in July, will be the starting backcourt for Ham, who is typically reluctant to reveal any day-to-day lineup choices.

Ham anticipates his point guard to be a standout following a summer that included practices with only James and Davis. Russell’s successful return to LA did, however, result in a decreased role in the conference finals matchup against Denver.

The Lakers also anticipate continuing development from Reaves, who’s outstanding second season finished with a starting position prior to his outstanding World Cup campaign for Team USA.