3. Playing Chess with the King

James arguably carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the finals by himself during the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons. At the end of the 2017-18 season, King James averaged a career-high 9.1 assists per game. Throughout Beasley’s career, he has never played with a facilitator like LBJ. Yes, James Harden is debatable, but he averaged 11.2 assists the season after Beasley left the Houston Rockets. (2016-17)

Although Harden can play point guard effectively he doesn’t pay attention to detail as well as James. James, who is entering his 16th season, has always paid attention to detail when it comes to his teammates.

LBJ focuses on ball location when passing to his teammates and understanding where their sweet spots are. In addition to his accurate passing, he possesses the ability to motivate and make his teammates better.

Welcome To The West

Entering this season Johnson and Pelinka plan to switch it up by letting James play off the ball with playmakers. After Kyrie Irving requested to be traded from Cleveland in the summer of 2017, the Cavaliers front office tried to build a team of shooters around LBJ.

Obviously, the approach to put shooters around the three-time champion failed during the finals. Putting playmakers around James will help motivate and re-energize him.

Beasley and LBJ could work on the court for a few reasons. Despite the fact that the Maryland native is 29 years old, he has yet to reach his full potential. Of course, the former New York Knick won’t average 25 or more points but he can still produce.

Playing with the New York Knicks last season might have been a blessing in disguise. The 235lbs forward is a solid ball handler, scorer and has the ability to knock down the three. After the 2016-17 season came to an end the forward shot 41.9 percent from three.

A season of Beasley and James paired together will benefit the Lakers and their young core due to Beasley’s versatility, experience and feel for the game.

Next Up: Reason 2