Former LeBron James teammate makes major NBA title claim

LeBron James’ priority this season is still aiding the development of the Los Angeles Lakers’ young core - not trying to win a championship, according to Richard Jefferson. Several suggested that the Lakers should give up some of their young core - such as Brandon Ingram - to make a deal for Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards given LeBron has won championships in the past when paired with elite shooters. Jefferson insists that LeBron is still committed to the long-term plans of the franchise. Asked if he was asked for advice by Luke Walton, Jefferson said: “Yeah. We see each other a ton, we don’t live far from one another. “But it was never like, ‘Hey, how do you coach Bron?’ It was more about understanding him as a person and as a player.  But you know, Bron was who he’s always been. He was their months early, working out, training, getting guys together, playing pick-up.  You’re able as a coach to kind of sit back and watch him without actually coaching.  In the pre-season and pick-up games, you can coach him but you can see. For him, it’s still more about coaching these young guys. “It’s more about coaching [Kyle] Kuzma and Ingram and [Josh] Hart and Lonzo Ball, that’s where he’s got to work and help coach these guys to get to a higher level to more meet Bron.  That’s not saying these guys won’t be there but it’s tough to do that in your first, second, third year to have the best player in the world, an extreme competitor, having to understand that mistakes in the first quarter mean almost as much as they do in the fourth and third. His focus is still getting the young players better.”

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