The Los Angeles Lakers officially began training camp activities on Tuesday by holding their first team practice of the 2024-25 season. There is a bit of hope, despite grim predictions from some in the national media, that they can take a step forward in the always competitive Western Conference.

They're already a bit short-handed, especially in their frontcourt, as big man Christian Wood and forward Jarred Vanderbilt are still recuperating from injuries and are at least a few weeks away from fully returning to action.

On Tuesday, another reserve forward -- Cam Reddish -- didn't take part in a portion of the team's practice because of back soreness. In addition, guard Jordan Goodwin sat out because of a hamstring ailment.

While Reddish started 26 games last season under then-head coach Darvin Ham, he played in a total of just 48 games because of multiple injuries, and overall, he was a pretty big disappointment.

Staying healthy could be the Lakers' biggest key to success, something Anthony Davis admitted at media day on Monday. Indeed, Davis and LeBron James, among others, will have to avoid major injury for the team to be a legitimate playoff squad and make some noise in the spring of 2025.