With Steve Nash and Pau Gasol both apparently healthy and ready to go, per Serena Winters of Lakers Nation, the Lakers have a whole roster of unproven talent outside of the two veterans to mold into a cohesive unit by the end of training camp.
Kobe Bryant's absence from training camp makes it unrealistic at best to expect him to return to the starting lineup by opening night. This means that there will be a lot of opportunities during training camp for the bevvy of guards on this team to step up and earn themselves some playing time.
At this point in the NBA season, the spotlight falls heavily upon Mike D'Antoni, who has a chance to prove his critics wrong by using this training camp to fully implement his system.
Although there are many things to watch for this training camp, perhaps the most obvious thing to observe is chemistry.
Team chemistry
Last season, the Lakers had issues. Those issues centered around Dwight Howard's future, Howard's relationship with Kobe, D'Antoni's preference for Howard over Gasol and a myriad of other Superman- related things.
While it's unfair to label Howard the scapegoat, the team seems to think that the team chemistry is already better than it was last season, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. While you could point to Antawn Jamison, Metta World Peace or any of the other players who have left, the biggest absent elephant in the room is obviously Howard.
It might not be the status quo for long, but Bryant's absence may enable D'Antoni to run a more equal-opportunity offense that should help with the morale and enthusiasm.
Setting the pace during training camp will make for a more fluid offense eve...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
