Lakers Tip Off Pre-Camp Minicamp In San Diego

The Lakers began their LeBron James-organized players-only minicamp Friday in San Diego, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

The training session has been in the works for several weeks, and per McMenamin, including every player on the roster except new point guard Dennis Schroder, who is still in the process of moving to Los Angeles.

James has long organized these types of pre-camp minicamps, dating back to his days of leading the Cavaliers to four straight trips to the Finals, and their lone title in 2016.

Things haven’t gone nearly as well with the Lakers, who finished 33-49 last season and failed to make even the play-in tournament. The year before that, they lost in the first round of the playoffs, one year after winning the title in the Disney bubble with no fans or travel involved.

Now, it appears James is hoping to get the Lakers in the right mindset heading into the actual training camp, which tips off Tuesday.

Along with James, the Lakers will again feature Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook (to the chagrin of some fans), as well as Schroder and fellow newcomer Patrick Beverley. But as critics will tell you, it’s hard to know if the Lakers will be any better than they were last season.