The Lakers Youth: Adjusting to life with LeBron James

LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers knowing full well he wouldn't be able to walk in and make them a contender in year one.

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As the youngest team of the 2017-18 season, the Lakers still have a long way to go before being labelled a genuine threat to the championship. They're working towards making another splash in free agency. That is ultimately where they will make the move to contender status. However, the development of the young core and how they adapt to playing alongside King James is what 2018-19 is all about, and so far, there have been mixed results.

Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are the future of the franchise whether they are in Los Angeles for the long-term or not. How they adjust to life as the King's subjects will determine the future of their individual careers and the Lakers franchise.

James is famous for making his teammates better. For the most part, he's done that in Los Angeles. However, it's not been the easiest road to travel down and there are still plenty of twists and turns before the Lakers are close to being legitimate contenders.

It's the unheralded Hart that has looked the best playing alongside James to start the season.

The Unknown Guy

Hart impressed throughout his rookie season and will have been one of the most excited about James signing in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old is the ideal fit next to the King. An improving 3-and-D specialist that is quickly becoming untradeable, Hart has excelled this season. His counting stats haven't seen a significant jump, but Hart's influence in the team is unquestioned.

With a plus-10.7 net rating, Hart leads the team in on/off court rating. Of all of the two-man lineups that have played more than 100 minutes together, Hart features in five of the top seven. With Hart on the floor, the Lakers play with a 108.8 offensive and 101 defensive rating. While on the bench, the offensive rating drops to 101.0 while the defensive rating jumps to 106.2.

the Lakers net rating with LeBron James next to Josh Hart is +8.6.

The Lakers’ net rating with LeBron James on court without Hart is -1.5

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 5, 2018

Hart does the dirty work and makes important plays without needing the ball in his hands. He can defend on the perimeter with the best of them, and right now, he's the Lakers' best three-point shooter. As a prototype of the ideal guard to play with James, Hart's role in the team is only going to grow.

The Ready-made Guy

Similar to Hart, Kuzma thrives beside James.

As somebody that can playoff James as a cutter, screener or floor-stretcher, Kuzma is an ideal partner for the King.

Few expected Kuzma to be so ready for the NBA when he was drafted 27th last season. Nevertheless, he came out and averaged 16.1 points as a rookie. He's bumped that up to 16.6 early into the 2018-19 season and could still improve when you consider he's only shot 30.3% from beyond the arc.

With the Kuzma at centre experiment failing, the Lakers have spent time playing bigger since Tyson Chandler arrived in town.

After a rough start to the season, Kyle Kuzma is currently in the 70th percentile on offense and his recent stretch of strong play has brought his defense up to the 66th percentile. Trending upwards for sure.

— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) December 6, 2018

As has been the case with so many James-led teams, everything works best when he's surrounded by shooters and an old-school big man. It's no surprise that of all the three-man lineups the Lakers have played more than 100 minutes, it's James, Chandler and Kuzma that top the list with a plus-12.3 net rating.

Kuzma is a great fit alongside James, and so far, he's having a serious impact without shooting particularly well. Once his shot starts to fall, the James/Kuzma on-court partnership could be a cornerstone of the offense. 

The Team-First Guy

There's little doubt that Ball puts the team before his own personal gain. If anything, it's something he does too much with a lack of aggression one of the many qualms people have with the 21-year-old.

His shot is questionable at best, although, it is improving. Where Ball has seen the most improvement in his shot-making is without James on the floor.

In the 533 minutes Ball has shared the court with James, his effective field goal percentage sits at just 44.8%. His usage rate is also terribly low at 14.4%. Send James to the bench and Ball's usage rate is up to 22.1% along with a 58.1% effective field goal percentage.

But Ball's impact shouldn't be measured in scoring and shooting numbers. He does a lot more than add 8.1 points per game.

His court vision and well-roundedness are second only to James on the roster. Ball might not have a reliable shot, but he can find others that do as good as anybody in the league. While seeing less of the ball, he's become more of a screen-setter this season, especially when playing alongside James.

The second-year guard isn't the ideal partner for James on paper, but his versatility allows him to make things work.

Ball may not be excelling in the way those that follow box-scores measure impact, but he's playing a nice role in what have so far been relatively limited minutes (27.2mpg).

The Untouchable Guy

Ingram, on the other hand, is struggling to find his feet. He's who Magic Johnson labelled as untouchable, but he makes the most sense to move right now.

Unable to find a balance in how he plays on offense with James beside him, Ingram hasn't made the leap many people predicted he would. As a preseason candidate for the Most Improved Player award, Ingram doesn't rate a mention a quarter of the way through the season.

The on/off court comparisons are eye-opening but somewhat encouraging. Ingram's talent is clear. It's letting it show in James' shadow that is proving difficult.

With James beside him, Ingram has just a 45.1% effective field goal percentage scoring 0.94 points per possession. Ingram's 21.7% usage rate doesn't allow him enough time with the ball, and instead of doing what he does best and driving to the basket, he becomes more of a spot-up shooter.

Ingram is better with the ball in his hands. He's not necessarily somebody that is going to create for others, but by simply being a mismatch against most opposing defenders, something is going to happen.

With his usage rate skyrocketing to 31.3% with James off the floor, Ingram starts to look more like the player that is regarded as the future of the franchise. His 59.1% effective field goal percentage nets him 1.18 points per possession for a plus-12 net rating.

It's clear that Ingram is going to struggle with James on the floor and that his style is better suited to being the dominant ball-handler.

Some have suggested Walton staggers Ingram and James' minutes. While that isn't ideal, it might be their best option right now. At worst, it promotes Ingram in a better light should Johnson remove the 'untouchable' tag.

How It Can All Work Together

James works best with spot-up shooters, an area in which Hart and Kuzma can excel. As the second and third-best two-man lineups, it's clear the pair can co-exist with James on the floor.

There isn't much to dive into there.

But for Ball and Ingram, it's on the defensive end that they can ensure they are net positives when sharing the floor with James.

At 6'6" and 190 lbs, Ball is big for a point guard. He's already considered one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA, and with what he can do to fill in the gaps offensively, Ball will continue to improve his relationship on the floor with James if given the opportunity to do so.

Ingram isn't an elite defender, but he does have the tools and is improving. He's learning to make the most of his 7'3" wingspan, and with more of a focus on that side of the ball when James is out there with him, could soon develop into a well-rounded defender.

The pair will want to get their hands on the ball themselves. Walton should certainly consider staggering the minutes and allowing Ball and Ingram to anchor the second unit more often. 

Coming in as a bit of a father figure, the youngsters are learning how to cope with the new man of the house.

Hart and Kuzma picked up what he was putting down on day one, Ball is happy with the scraps, and Ingram has the ability to adjust his style to avoid any issues.

It's early days and despite the struggles, the Lakers are 14-9 to be just two games back of the 1st seed. This isn't the traditional LeBron James team, but if they keep developing at the rate they have done to start the season, we could still see the customary royal appearance in the conference finals.

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