LeBron James noted Thursday that he won't be playing in the preseason opener on Saturday in San Francisco, but he does plan to play in about half of LA's six games before the real ones start later this month. That's a pretty decent amount of run, but is it enough? What is too much? The Lakers have, in the past, gone extremely conservative with preseason playing time for stars. We remember a couple years back when James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook didn't get any time together in dress rehearsals before the regular season, and the results showed. On the other hand, LeBron is officially the oldest player in the NBA, and there is no diminishing AD's injury history. And the Lakers do have some continuity, which matters. On the other hand, there are still a lot of questions about the rotation that need to be addressed, and more importantly, the Lakers have a very difficult, road-heavy schedule to open the season. IT's important not to fall into a hole early while you figure things out. Not in a Western Conference expected to be as competitive as this one. Ideally, the Lakers want to be calibrating for the playoffs comfortable with a top 4 seed in March and April, not scrambling like they had to last year. A strong start goes a long way to giving them some cushion. Meanwhile, much attention has been paid to Rui Hachimura and the amount of time he's spent around LeBron this summer, to the point of going with him on road trips, reportedly. LeBron calls him The Understudy. Hachimura says he wants to improve his finishing at the rim, and that he loves the big moments (certainly last year's playoffs showed that to be true). Obviously Rui has some stuff to prove, but there's no question moving to the Lakers, playing with LeBron, and having a better defined role and set of expectations has done him good. That kind of swagger and confidence can make a world of difference. Finally, Max Christie looks ready to take a role in the rotation where he gives the Lakers quality minutes. Not graded on a curve for a second year player, or a guy who isn't even 21 yet. Just good minutes. If that's the case, it's like the Lakers acquired one more free agent, even if he was on the team last year. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: LeBron says he won't play Saturday. How much should he play in the preseason? SEGMENT 2: The Lakers have a brutal early season schedule. How important is a good start? Plus, Hachimura! SEGMENT 3: More Rui, plus Max Christie. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Ibotta Ibotta gives you cash back on hundreds of grocery items from produce to personal care to pantry goods, so you can make sure you’re beating inflation no matter what you’re purchasing! Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app and use code locked. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Birddogs Go to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free water bottle with any purchase. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. FanDuel This episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, Official Sportsbook of Locked On. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS - GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices