Lakers Rumors: Why LeBron James Will Play With Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson In 2018-2019

The Los Angeles Lakers caused a lot of confusion after signing LeBron James to a four-year contract. Many fans and media members alike didn’t understand why the team surrounded the NBA’s best player with veterans that aren’t known for their outside shooting.

Shortly after James agreed to join the Lakers, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee came aboard. They are unlike most of the players that teamed with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that was by design.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne, Lakers president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have planned to surround James with players that can create shots and act as versatile defenders. They have largely ignored the conventional thinking that the team’s No.1 goal should be to surround James with three-point shooters.

Caldwell-Pope is the best shooter of the bunch, having made 38.3 percent of his threes last season. The guard has barely been an average three-point shooter over the course of his career. McGee has made just one shot from behind the arc in his regular-season career. Rondo and Stephenson made 117 combined threes in 2017-2018 on 30.6 percent shooting.

“I know some people are rolling their eyes, but I like what the Lakers have done,” a rival Western Conference executive told ESPN. “You can find shooters. They've taken some in the last few drafts. Playmakers matter and are harder to find.”

James has made 36.5 percent of his threes over the last two seasons. He could look to score more from behind the three-point arc, as well as in the post, now that he’ll have teammates like Rondo and Stephenson who can create offense with dribble penetration.

The additions will certainly help give James a better defensive team than the one he played for last year. The Cavs ranked second-to-last in defensive efficiency in 2017-2018. Cleveland gave up 116 points per game to Golden State in the NBA Finals.

A trade for Kawhi Leonard could still be on the way. He’s the league’s best wing defender, and Leonard could start the season as the Lakers’ best three-point shooter.

James, however, reportedly isn’t pressuring Los Angeles to trade for another superstar. The three-time champion knew the team would acquire Kevin Love before he returned to Cleveland in 2014, but he’s got no assurances that he’ll be playing alongside an All-Star in the season following his latest free agency decision.

“Unlike most free agents changing teams, LeBron is arriving with the Lakers as an all-time great,” a source close to James told ESPN. “He doesn't have pressure to prove anything. He wants some changes, and he can afford to let the process breathe.”