LOS ANGELES – Before the Lakers did formal training this season, let alone play a game, LeBron James He told his colleagues that they reminded him of another group of veterans led by an old legend: the Pirates of Tampa Bay Tom Brady.

The Brady Bucs lost their first game together in their first quarterback season away to the New England Patriots and were 7-5 overall before they caught on fire. After winning the last four games of the regular season, Tampa Bay was 4-0 in the post-season, culminating in a 31-9 Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

James believed that the Lakers who traded Russell Westbrook In the offseason and add a bunch of veterans like Carmelo AnthonyAnd Dwight HowardAnd Deandre Jordan s Trevor Ariza To this mix, they will be ready for a similar journey.

During a voluntary mini-camp the player hosted in Las Vegas in September, James shared the prediction with his new teammates.

Anthony, after training for the Lakers on Tuesday, said it was an apt comparison.

“Just from the standpoint of slow starts and having new players on the team. New system. Guys trying to figure it out, guys trying to figure out how to play with LeBron and [Anthony Davis] Now he’s brought in Ross and now everyone is finding out their role,” he told reporters in a video conference. And what made it nice for Bucs was that once he joined, he joined in and I saw what happened to that.

The Lakers reached mid-season on Sunday when they lost 127-119 to the Memphis Grizzlies in a game in which they trailed by as much as 29 points. At the age of 21-20, Los Angeles is currently ranked No. 7 in the Western Conference.

“She was just preparing for whatever happens, whatever happens next,” Anthony said. “I think we were, I don’t mean ready for those moments [difíciles] And those moments mentally and emotionally, but yeah, those were conversations that were happening.”

Lakers reserve guard Wayne EllingtonJames’ Tampa Bay example was something he relied on for confidence as the Lakers took the blocks, he said.

Everyone was like, ‘Oh no! ” Suddenly, [los Buccaneers] They took a step at the right time. “They ended up winning everything,” Ellington said. And that’s one of the things I always come back to when you see how our season has been going so far. And keep being positive and professional, man.”

“I understand that this could turn in the right direction very quickly for us.”

Los Angeles has a relatively easy week with only two games on the schedule: in Sacramento on Wednesday and in Denver on Friday.

It will give Davis more time (left knee MCL sprain) and Kendrick Nan (a contusion to the right knee bone) to continue rehabilitation without losing much movement in the game.

The Lakers are expected to publish an update on Davis’ injury on Friday, marking the four-week anniversary of his injury Jaden McDaniels Minnesota signed it. Sources told ESPN that Nunn, who has missed the entire season, is expected to return to the squad before the end of January.

In a matter of weeks, the Lakers could be healthy for the first time all season, with two and a half months before the season ends to build a sprint, just as the Bucs did.

“It’s a great comparison,” Anthony said. “It’s something we’re looking forward to. We’ve heard it and we’ve heard it. It’s a great comparison.” “I don’t think it’s something we think about on a daily basis. We just have some kind of analogy to compare it to, what is the better team and what better position to compare it to what the two presidents did last year?”