There was a whole different vibe around the Los Angeles Lakers before last season than there is now. Last year, the team had a lineup that didn’t work with Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and their head coach, Darvin Ham, was in his first season. This made the season start very slowly.

During the trade deadline, the front office changed the team’s roster on the spot. The Lakers finally turned things around and made it to the Western Conference Finals. Everyone agrees that the Lakers had a great offseason. They are now looking forward to a title season, and Davis thinks that the continuity they kept from last year has helped them get off to a good start.

Through Spectrum SportsNet, Davis talked about the Lakers’ relationship and how he thinks they will be ready to play when the ball drops on Opening Night instead of trying to figure each other out:

“Last year felt like three seasons rolled into one.” Beginning of the season, the end of trades, and then the playoffs. A few different groups, teams, plans, and other things. So I think that having all of our guys back will help us get along better and get everything in order during camp. That way, when we play our first game on the 24th, we won’t be trying to figure things out.

The Lakers star went on to say that the players’ comfort level with Ham and the way they get along with each other helps the team keep growing and that everyone is happy with each other:

“Very nice and cozy. Once a year has passed, you can talk about what you’d like to improve, what you liked, and what you’d like to add based on what you learned last year and the people you have on staff.

“It’s kind of the same but not quite the same.” Every year he has, the next year, and the year after that, you should just keep growing and getting better. It will happen over time. But in that first year, both he and I were trying to figure things out. It was his first year as head coach and ours as a team with a new teaching staff. This year has been a lot less rigid.

Everyone on the team, including those who didn’t play last season, knows what is expected of them, and the Lakers have brought in players who fit with their goals. If the Lakers start the season well, they should be able to keep going strong from the start like they did last year.

Anthony Davis is the “heart and soul” of the Lakers, according to Darvin Ham.

Many people think that Davis needs to take the next step and really become the star of this team in order for the Lakers to do well this season. And Ham thinks that’s what the big man is doing. He called him the Lakers’ “heart and soul.”

I notice a level of attention that makes me want to join in. He’s been great,” Ham said after the team’s most recent practice game. “Of course, some of the games he played last year and the stretches he had were just unbelievable.” He’s what makes our team work.