hey Anthony uh you've always been careful to say you're not super interested in the kind stuff about MVP DPI individual Awards uh but your new coach J.J reck did bring up that that he has those kind of thoughts about what your season could bring coming off the success of Team USA coming off your last two seasons uh individually and as a team what is your mindset uh coming in to play for JJ alongside the rest of the guys and and as you pursue a Prime season for yourself um just continue to do what I've been
doing um you know obviously the the main focus is staying healthy stay on the floor um the rest as far as individual accolades and things like that I just let it take care of itself I don't stress too much um over that it's not like I'm in consideration for things anyway I don't know how but um I don't let that bother me I just go out there and play basketball and U focus on our team wins and um if we're able to you know get enough of those and play very well at a high level
as a as a unit um I'm pretty sure that stuff to happen but that's not my focus ad I've got a quick one for you and a a bigger picture one um how are you feeling after your summer uh a little bit of a different thing with the Olympics and then secondly um you know this roster it's basically the same as as last year what what needs to change for the result to be different with this group um I feel good um felt great summer um obviously in the Olympics um but as far as the
roster question uh just Health to be honest I mean Gabe missed a big part of last season V missed a huge part of last season um so I think health is just you know Chris SE wood you know missed last season um most of the last season U with his injuries so I think just Health um you know I think you know we did a good job obviously um even in the playoffs we just W able to finish games but you know having some of our key players that we that we needed down the stretch
um not being available just kind of hurt us um so I think you know Health would be the biggest thing for us uh to really get a a great feel um of what we can do as it with this team um and see what we can be hey D um JJ's talked about using you more as like a a playmaking hub around the elbows and and top of the arc uh what what have those conversations been like with with his vision for your offensive role and how comfortable are you stepping up and and you know
just having the ball more at the top of the keepy yeah um I mean I've always been comfortable in that role you know every team that I've played on going back to New Orleans you know have always caught the ball in the middle of the floor just kind of directing the offense and things like that so um that would be nothing new um but as far as conversations we had a couple I mean you know obviously you know busy summer and things like that but I'm pretty sure our conation conversation would be a little bit
more you know in depth as the season has now started um you know we able to get on the floor kind of go over things um you know talking uh communicating about how we want things to work what I like what I don't like what he likes you know what he envisions um you know and kind of build around that especially with the roster that we have so um but I'm very comfortable um we're having the ball and and playmaking from anywhere on the floor ad Rob mentioned a couple months ago that you chose to
be heavily involved and the coaching search which led to JJ being hired um what stuck out to you about JJ what did you know about him as a competitor what have you learned about him in the past couple months in the player coach relationship now um I mean you know JJ played the game uh he was able to uh I didn't have honestly I didn't have many conversations with JJ actually I was more just so with Rob but um you know Rob was telling me all these things about JJ and you know it obviously it
was um I was giving my input on how I felt um obviously is it's different um by him being a first time coach and head coach so um that's was a little different but the the principles that he was and the schemes that he want I want to bring into my organization um just kind of stood out to me and I kind of just relate that to Rob and and uh you know let Rob kind of do his job from there yeah Jim Hill kickill night good to see you again how important is O patience
because you have a lot of variables this year so how important is patience in getting everything the way that you want uh patience is key I mean you know we're not going to rush anything um the good thing is we do have a lot of same players back from last year that continuity so we're able to kind of speed roll some things um but then we also have a new coaching style you know which takes time you know to get adjusted to that you know the coaches to get adjusted to us um but we we
focused on the details coming in and getting better each and every day each practice each shoo around each preseason game um right now and you know left the rest kind of take care of itself but um you know we're not trying to skip any steps ad you guys were a playing Team the last couple years and the West is crowded and in many ways some would say it got even better and in the off season how do you kind of view your place in things and how do you kind of focus on the necessary steps
you mentioned attention to detail without you know kind of getting lost in the big picture yeah um the West is tough uh the West is it's always been tough you know uh you know one through 15 so um for us we can't you know like I said get too excited for a win too low for a loss you know we have to come in and you know stay even kill um like I said that continuity helps you know building off last year with the team that we had but I think if we're healthy and we
able to stay healthy throughout the entire season um we can be a top team in the west um you know the stuff that we're able to do on both ends of the floor and then you add in Gabe and V and seawood um you know I think that helps but um you know if we if we get hit by the injury bug again then it's going to be tough hey D uh and what ways did the Olympic experience deepen your relationship with Braun both on and off the court just going through that together um I
mean it was fun it was good uh me and Bron already have a close relationship so um this probably the first summer um since I probably since I've been here that we been together all summer you know obviously he's always doing his thing I do mind you know we got families in our own lives and you know been each around each other 6 seven months out of a year already you know kind of need your breaks you know for sure but um it was fun to play basketball again uh you know with the with the
season that we had obviously it was it was tough just because you know we felt like we should have won the first series um but to be able to get back on the floor play with Braun and all the other guys that you know I was able to play with and win a gold medal um made it a fun summer ID you know you just touched on you know LeBron is as well as anybody in this building um what's it been like seeing him and Brony here today um as they kind of start this historic
journey together yeah I mean it's it's awesome um it's historic is it's powerful uh I mean Bron's lockers across the mind so every time I walk in I see it just still surreal to me that he you know is on the same team as his dad and uh I to be a part of it and witness you know each and every practice each game uh each moment that they have um for at least this first year so uh I can't wait till they step on the floor together you know and officially make history but um
it's been super dope to watch so far hey D good to see you um as accomplish has he been as a player defensively what parts of that game do you think you don't get enough appreciation for all of it every part ad um did over here um did the Olympic experience give you something new in terms of your perspective and relationship with the game of Bas basketball um I've always never tooken a game of basketball for GR granted but being in a situation like that obviously you never want to take that for granted um I
think it's only 12 guys that get selected to play you know for USA basketball in the Olympics and that's every four years so um the fact that I was able to do it twice um from on the Olympic stage you know I never take that granted being you know given the chance to play with you know Braun KD step um obviously they're the older guys uh and they're all on their way I say on their way out but heading that way um who knows if they play in 28 you know who knows if they retired
before like you just don't know so um I think the appreciation of just playing you know with the greatness uh of those guys you know and that was you know the rest of the guys on the team as well um just got to appreciate that you know each and every day ad the load that you carry defensively is as big as anybody in the NBA just you're also expected to do a lot on offense where can you use the most help uh for the team this year defensively inside out side what like where are the
the the places that you're looking to um from a defensive standpoint from from defense yeah well it could be it could be anything because it's both ends but and I just try to do what I can to help the team win if that's being all the floor defensively guarding one through five I'll do that if JJ wants me to play one through five on offense I'll do that you know um you know I I don't I don't try to like especially defensively I don't try to rely on other guys you especially when it's a one-on-one
match up I'm guarding the ball um just cuz I take so much pride in defense that I don't think nobody should anyone should be getting around me you know so uh but also just knowing that I have guys behind me to help me uh any event that does happen but defensively I take too much pride in myself on the defensive end to be like hey guys I need y'all help you know I try to you know guard that whoever the up is 101 um and if they do get by me or you know something happens
then obviously the help is there but um you know I just want us to be a you know a a top team top five team defense this year and uh I'll be happy with that awesome all right hey D uh this is Timothy Foster with News Channel 3 out in the Coachella Valley um we know that your first two games are going to be at Acure Arena um out in the Coachella Valley um what does it mean to you and to the Lakers organization to start your preseason over there um especially that there's a lot
of DieHard Laker fans that you know it might be a little too hard to make it all the way out to LA to watch you guys play um what would you kind of say to that to those Die Hard fans and playing out there yeah I mean it's fun anytime we get a chance to go you know play in another city another Arena um that's not in your typical NBA city um know it's it's Laker fans everywhere you know so I remember my first year we went to go play in China and you know fans
everywhere so um that's when I really got the experience of flaker nation and to be able to play in Palm Springs where there's a lot of Die Hard Laker fans like you said they might not have opportunity to drive down to LA to watch um you know it's always fun to go out there and you know put on the show for them so they can enjoy our season as well hey D um curious uh this stage of your career you've been through training camps x amount of times one of the elite players in the league
what are areas still in your game that you're hoping to approve on uh at this stage of your career Are there specific things you're looking forward to for this upcoming year for that I mean just everything obviously we have one of the best Shooters to ever play in our head coach um JJ so he's uh he's been knowing me all summer about shooting threes even in Olympics when I make a three he tacks me that's what I want to see and things like that so uh you know for him it's definitely going to be just
shooting more three um but for me I just try to work on everything I mean it's nothing you know in my game that I would that I can't polish or touch up so uh you know when I'm working out I just try to hit every facet of my game yep
