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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: How good are Lakers outside of LeBron James?

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his teammate Brandon Ingram #14 and Josh Hart #3 after scoring a basket and getting fouled against Sacramento Kings during the first half at Staples Center on October 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his teammate Brandon Ingram #14 and Josh Hart #3 after scoring a basket and getting fouled against Sacramento Kings during the first half at Staples Center on October 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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With the additions of LeBron James and a host of veterans, the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the strangest rosters entering the 2018-19 NBA season.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have high expectations for the 2018-19 NBA season. No matter the verb or predicate of that sentence, it’s still surreal to accept that as what’s about to happen this year. The best player in the league for the past decade is about to play for just the third team in his career, and it just so happens to be with arguably the most famous franchise in the league.

When the news came down and confirmed the suspicions of many regarding James heading to Los Angeles, fans and the general public alike waited for the next shoe to drop. Be it Paul George coming or a Kawhi Leonard trade or something of that ilk, the thought was that James would be the first big move of several for LA.

In the aftermath of signing James, however, there was nothing of the sort. Instead, the Lakers opted to add veterans around LeBron and their young core in a move that remains fascinating and curious months after it happened. Yes, part of that is having JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley on the same roster.

However, the other part of it is trying to decipher what this team is going to look like out on the floor. This is a completely strange blend of faces and styles, but a blend that could potentially have a high upside as soon as this season.

With that in mind, let’s go position-by-position through the Lakers roster and look at what they have to offer and how things could shake out for the 2018-19 season.