Magic Johnson is taking the long view on the usage of LeBron James and referenced how he hopes the Los Angeles Lakers don't make the same mistakes the Cleveland Cavaliers did.

"We are trying to make sure that we watch his minutes but also that we don't run everything through him because now it is Cleveland all over again and we don't want that," Johnson said in an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "We want to get up and down."

Johnson wants to keep James as fresh as possible for seasons to come and that's why they prioritized signing playmakers like Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson.

"Basically minutes, trying to make sure we don't overplay him and then also usage of the ball in his hands," Johnson told SiriusXM NBA Radio. "We got a lot of ballhandlers so we feel we won't overuse him in terms of his ballhandling and also every play has to run through him. I think we got proven scorers -- Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram ... and then when you have two point guards like Ball and Rondo, we don't have to have LeBron having the ball in his hands all the time."

Kemba Walker entered the NBA without a reliable perimeter jumper, but he has transformed himself into one of the best three-point shooters off the dribble in the league.

Walker shot 30 percent on three-pointers as a rookie and a combined 31.8 percent on threes over his first four seasons.

"I never saw myself playing at this level, and shooting the ball like this," said Walker. "I guess you could say I'm surprised."

"He and Dame [Lillard] are the closest things to Stephen Curry," said James Borrego.

When Walker was negotiating a contract extension in 2014, his agent Jeff Schwartz pushed for $12 million per season. Charlotte's best offer was $10 million per season and as the deadline approached, Walker pushed Schwartz to accept. Walker even threatened to call the Hornets to accept it himself. Charlotte, however, eventually offered a four-year, $48 million extension that was accepted. 

As Walker approaches a pivotal free agency, he talked about his love for Charlotte.

"These guys believed in me," Walker said. "I couldn't care less about big markets. That's not who I am. I want to make this place big. I want to be in the playoffs every year. I want to make Charlotte pop."

The Memphis Grizzlies play at the NBA's slowest pace and believe operating against the trend of the NBA is to their advantage.

"We want to bring people to the mud and see how comfortable they are in that type of fight," J.B. Bickerstaff said "There's not a ton of practice time anymore, so the games are coming and everybody's playing one way, and then all of a sudden you play us and it's a completely different game. How do you handle that?"

The Grizzlies have a 12-7 record to start the season and are in the middle of the Western Conference playoff chase.

"It's Grit 'n' Grind 2.0," said New York Knicks coach David Fizdale, whose firing last November led to his friend and assistant Bickerstaff becoming the Grizzlies' interim head coach before getting the full-time job over the summer. "They're playing to their strengths. They're playing to what fits them. J.B. has identified exactly what works for this group."

Zion Williamson is settling in as the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft class.

Williamson's blend of skill, size, strength and athleticism makes him one of the most unique prospects in recent memory.

"Don't overthink this one," said one high ranking executive.

"Don't pass up on another unicorn," said another.

Williamson has exceeded expectations over his first few weeks with Duke.

Some scouts believe the No. 1 pick will come down to Williamson and Cam Reddish, not RJ Barrett.

The Oklahoma City Thunder want to rely less on Russell Westbrook to generate offense with Paul George and Dennis Schroder able to create.

"Russ is the guy that wants us to be out there making plays," George said. "Russ is not a stat guy. He wants us to be out there making plays, he wants the game to open up for everybody and you're seeing that. You're seeing that with myself, you're seeing that with Schroder making plays."

The Thunder are playing more systematically this season as opposed to letting Westbrook be the system.

"We've just got more creators," George said. "It takes pressure off all of us when you've got guys that can make plays at different positions. Then when I have two point guards out there that can make plays, the game is so much easier for me."

The Houston Rockets have begun the season slowly after taking the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

Some around the Rockets have suggested the team is suffering from a sort of hangover.

"We didn't win, so we can't have a hangover," said Chris Paul.

"Honestly, it's been kind of hard to get back into our rhythm," Clint Capela said. "First of all, when everybody was healthy, it was hard to get our rhythm back. Then we had a suspension that didn't help, some injuries that didn't help. It took us a lot of time to figure it out. We just have to get back to that grind and enjoy it."

Some rival scouts have suggested Paul looks a bit older.

"He seems a little step slow," one scout said.

Paul has even admitted he hasn't been playing as well.

"That's a lot to do with it," Paul said. "I look at myself first in this situation. I know I've got to play better, and that'll help us play better."

Steve Kerr credits Ron Adams for identifying the Golden State Warriors' potential for becoming a defense heavily reliant on switching during their first season with the team in 14-15.

“Ron had a pretty unique take on our team,” Kerr said in a lengthy profile on Adams by Ethan Strauss. “He said in our first year, ‘You know, we could be a pretty good red team.’ ‘Red’ meaning switch. He recognized that right away. We, without really knowing it in training camp, naturally evolved into this really big switching team. I thought that Ron saw it before anyone else did.”

Teams across the NBA switch frequently now, but it was still a radical concept in 2014.

“The top coaches frowned on switching because they thought it was lazy defense,” Adams said. “I thought it was the only way you could get the consistent ball pressure that I, as a college coach, wanted. We did have good, uniform length.”