LeBron James On Board With Lakers' Style Of Play, Praises Coach Walton

LeBron James has no qualms about taking aboard Luke Walton’s pacy style of play following his move to the Los Angeles Lakers after admitting it would be “stupid” not to utilize the pace on the young legs in the team.

The small forward signed a four-year deal with the Lakers earlier this summer as he looks to end their barren spell, which has seen them miss the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. And for the first time in his 16-year NBA career, he will start the 2018-19 season as the oldest player on the team.

James played every game — from the start of the regular season until their 4-0 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals — last season and he will be expected to do the same this time around, but at a much faster pace.

The three-time NBA champ, who has featured in two pre-season games with the Lakers thus far, believes the up-tempo style is the way to go owing to the pace on the team with young players like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

“You see those young legs out there,” James told Yahoo Sports. “We would be stupid not to utilize that as a strength. That’s just good coaching.”

The Lakers, according to ESPN, ranked second in fast-break points last season with 17.5 trailing only the Warriors, who were at 19.3, where James can help take them to another level is in transition play.

Walton’s team had stellar numbers when it came to transitions, but their rate of conversion into points was poor. They ranked 24th in the league with an average of 1.24 points every transition, while the Cavaliers ranked at the top with 1.39 points every time James was on court during a transition.

The 14-time All-Star is not concerned at all going into the new season and is confident he can adapt to the new style and made it clear despite being the oldest player on the roster, he can pretty much do anything.

"It don't matter for me," the three-time NBA champion added. "I can play any style. I can run with the best of them. I can jump with the best of them. I can slow down with the best of them. I can play any game. Whatever the game endures, I'm able to adapt to however the game is going. ... So, even with the miles that I've had in my career, I can still — I can do pretty much anything."

James also touched on the back injuries that plagued him during the 2014-15 season and is certain it is behind him now. He also revealed he is using pre-season to ensure everyone is on the same page going into the new season.

“I feel good out there. I’m good. I haven’t had issues [with my back since then],” James said. “I’m just trying to get everyone involved right now and make sure everyone is on the same page. That’s all. We’ll be in good shape.”