LeBron James - 'Unfair' to put expectations on new-look Lakers - ESPN

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Before the Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp for their first practice Tuesday, new coach JJ Redick gathered the players for a dinner in Beverly Hills to discuss the identity they will attempt to forge.

«It was kind of the first time that we all really got together as a team in one setting,» Lakers guard Max Christie said. «JJ and the staff had a big presentation for us about kind of like team values, ground rules… so we can kind of wrap everybody around an identity that we want to have as a team so we're one coherent unit.»

LeBron James did his best to shield his team from any premature pressures that could come with optimism surrounding Redick's addition. After all, it stands to reason that with how effective James and Anthony Davis looked at the Olympics, the Lakers returning a core roster that made it to the conference finals two seasons ago and adding a new coach, they could be considered contenders. But that label could only magnify any early-season growing pains the team could experience.

«I don't have any expectations,» James said. «And that's unfair to put any expectations on us right now. The only thing that we can count on each other is how we come to practice and come to work every day.»

Redick, who told ESPN on Monday that he hopes the calling card for his team is «efficiency» — where it ranks in offensive and defensive efficiency and how efficient it is with its preparation time — received an endorsement from his star for how Day 1 went.

«Great first day,» James said. «It was very detail oriented.»

James said that he didn't spend much time with Redick going over the coach's new system during the summer, other than texting from time to time, so he's picking it up as they go just