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(FILES) LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel liked what he saw of LeBron James in the NBA superstar’s brief appearance in a preseason win over the Phoenix Suns.
Vogel had said he wanted to give James and Davis a chance to “get their feet wet” in their first action on the court since leading the Lakers to the NBA title in the quarantine bubble in Orlando just two months ago.
James missed his first four shots, but finished with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of the first half at Phoenix.
“He anticipated feeling a little rusty in the first leg,” said Vogel, whose team improved to 3-0 in the preseason exhibition game with a 112-107 victory. “I thought that worked. And once he had his second breath, I think he settled in and he looked great again. “
Davis added 10 points with four rebounds in 18 minutes and, like James, was left out in the second half.
“It felt great, honestly,” Davis said. “Upon entering, I thought I was going to feel a bit out of breath. You can try to get in shape all you want, but there is nothing like getting in basketball shape, in game shape.
“I was a bit hesitant about that, but it felt good. I could have played more and will probably play more on Friday. But I felt physically fine. “
The rapid change from the end of the NBA Finals in the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season to the start of the 2020-21 campaign on Tuesday has sparked speculation that James and Davis will play sparingly at first.
But Vogel said last week that when the Lakers meet the Los Angeles Clippers on opening night, the all-star duo will be “ready to play.”
“We’ve been trying to strike that balance to ease them enough and at the same time make sure they’re working to get ready for the start of the season,” Vogel said.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have used the preseason to get a good look at other players, including new acquisition Marc Gasol from Spain, and Kyle Kuzma, who has averaged 21.5 points per preseason game.
It’s unclear what Kuzma’s role will be once James and Davis are in top form.
“Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench is yet to be determined,” Vogel said.
In fact, Vogel said after Wednesday’s win that he had yet to decide on a starting rotation.
“There are a lot of different ways we could do it, but nothing really solidified for me tonight,” he said. “It’s just going to take time.”
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