‘Sacrifice’ is a good thing, actually

As a guy who had to work his way up from a two-way spot to a standard deal last season, he understands his role is simply to be ready, no matter what the team asks of him.

"I'm more in the mindset of just doing what I can every day to be an asset to this team," Walker said. "These are my brothers at the end of the day. … I have a relationship with all of them, so it's something bigger than just being a teammate."

While Walker's mentality is ideal for the 14th guy on the roster, it was a sentiment shared by many on media day Monday — including from arguably the best player to ever walk the earth, LeBron James.