Lakers GM: Only LeBron James is guaranteed starting spot

The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of young talent, but they’re going to have to earn the right to start alongside LeBron James.

According to Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, James is the only player on the roster who is guaranteed to start, and everyone else will have to battle it out to earn one of the four spots alongside him.

BREAKING: Rob Pelinka says LeBron James will be a starter.

Others will compete for starting jobs.

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) July 11, 2018

That means the likes of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram will have to earn it in camp. In Ball’s case, we already knew about this. It’s a good way to challenge the young players, given that the standards will be much higher than they have been in the past now that James is in the fold.

Given LeBron’s praise of some of these players, you have to wonder if he has a preference.