With the Los Angeles Lakers adding several quality talents to the roster, a key talking point has been sacrifice.
The Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Trevor Ariza to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but that means the individual production for some players may decrease.
Westbrook, a triple-double machine, may not average those numbers this season as the third option. Nunn, who has averaged over 14 points per game the last two seasons, may not be near that figure depending on his usage rate. Wayne Ellington, who attempted more than six triples a game last season, may not have the same volume.
The list goes on, but after Los Angeles’ first practice Wednesday, Davis explained how the team showed sacrifice right away.
“We passed up a lot of shots, you know, to find the next guy. And that might be over-sacrificing, but we’re trying to make the right plays,” Davis said. “I don’t think anyone on this team has an ego, no one on this team is trying to be selfish and it looks good on the floor for the first day.”
Davis continued to praise the team’s work ethic and how the discussions are manifesting on the court.
“Guys are doing the right thing and making the right plays and, most importantly, guys are coming to work. This is a great first couple hours of practice, and I think sacrificing is going to be huge for us,” Davis said. “We talked about it yesterday, we talked about it this morning and it showed in the first practice.”
Unlike other powerhouses in the NBA, the Lakers have to develop team chemistry since there are just three returning players from last year’s roster. Based on the way Davis described the situation, it seems the team is headed on the right path.