After a loss to the Kings on Thursday, the Lakers are now 2-3 in the preseason. Thursday’s game saw a fantastic offensive performance from D’Angelo Russell undone by bad defense across the board. The Lakers couldn’t contain dribble penetration, didn’t tag cutters, had slow rotations back to the 3 point line, and gave up open jumpers all over the floor. Luke Walton said the team just didn’t have good defensive energy which was a nice way of putting things.
That defensive intensity will, of course, be even more tested tonight against the Warriors. I don’t need to go into how good they are on that end, their personnel makes it obvious. Anytime you add Kevin Durant to a team, you are going to thrive on offense. When you add him to a team with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, you are going to demolish teams on that end of the floor.
The Lakers are not going to stop this team tonight. That said, they can do some things to make the Warriors’ lives more difficult. They will need to communicate well, switch when necessary, rotate hard to the 3 point line, and help the helper. The Warriors will still score against these tactics, but what I am looking for is good effort and sticking to the scheme as outlined by the coaches. In other words, the Lakers need to focus on process and try to execute every possession. If the results don’t come, you live with that. The Warriors are going to have a season of gaining their own results regardless of their process, but based on their quality of coaching, they will also have fantastic process.
Tonight, then, I couldn’t care less about a win or a loss. Even if a win would be great for confidence and to reward a team working hard to improve, my focus is still on doing the little things better and having the team make the small, yet important, strides forward which help establish their program and who they want to be over the long haul.
With that, a few things I will be watching for tonight:
- With Lou Williams getting the night off, I am interested in seeing if Clarkson finds his way to the starting lineup. The only alternatives to Clarkson would be Nick Young or Anthony Brown. While Young has been playing well and Brown could use more minutes this preseason, I would like to see Clarkson with the first five. If for some reason he doesn’t start, I think we can all assume, at this point, he is destined to be a reserve when the year begins and, maybe, even longer.
- Can Russell have another good game? When Russell played against Lillard — the only real top flight PG he’s faced this preseason — he struggled. Well, tonight, Curry is on deck and there’s no one better at that spot then the reigning MVP. I’d love for Russell to compete not just hard, but well against Steph. I don’t need a super explosion like he had on Thursday, but a good scoring game with a handful of assists would be great to see.
- More movement on offense, please. The first half of the Kings game was as bad an offensive stretch the team has had all preseason. A lot of standing around with little ball movement plagued their attack and it created a stagnant, generic approach with bad results. I know the team is still learning what they want to do on that end, but in listening to Walton talk what he wants is for guys to cut, screen, and relocate rather than just standing and watching. The sooner this group can get used to adopting this philosophy, the better.
- More Tarik Black, please. Last game was Yi’ Jianlian’s chance to be the key backup C and he did okay. He hit some shots, was mostly quick in making his reads after catches, and moved into open spaces well enough. He’s still not rebounding or defending well enough, but we know that’s going to be the case with him. My hope is Black gets his turn in the lineup tonight and can take advantage of his minutes with his high motor and willingness to attack in the paint on both ends of the floor. Too often the Lakers’ offense stalled because there weren’t enough players threatening the paint in ways that draws help defenders. Black, in the P&R, will try to get to the front of the rim which can help open the floor for the wings.
- Can Larry Nance find his offensive game? Nance has been pretty quiet on O the last few games. It’d be nice for him to become a bit more aggressive, taking open jumpers when they are there and attacking the rim out of the P&R. We know he can defend and rebound (though more work on the glass would also be nice), but if he’s going to be a more reliable rotation player, more consistency on offense is going to be needed.
- Better screening by Julius Randle. I am a believer in Randle’s talent, but doing the little things better are going to help his talent shine through more. On offense, one thing he really needs to improve on is making contact on his screens in order to free up his guard. When he does that, he’ll find he has more space to operate in too. Stop slipping every screen and just body up a few guards with his strong frame.
Again, I know there will be a certain amount of hype around this game. Luke Walton vs. his former team! A measuring stick game for the Lakers’ young guys! It’s better not to get caught up in any of that though. The Lakers have a long, long way to go before they even approach the Warriors’ lower gears. Tonight just needs to be about execution and cleaning up some of the mistakes they’ve been making in recent games.
adamv37 says
We all know the Warriors represent the most difficult challenge for any team in the league, so getting a W would be good for confidence, but the team should be focused on playing within the system and limiting mistakes, rather than concerning themselves with the final score. If Steph, KD, and Clay are dropping bombs all over the court, I don’t care who they’re playing, they’re gunna win. But if one or two of their guys are having an off night, the basic principles of defense and limiting turnovers will be the difference in the game. Doing those things is what will prevent a blow out and give the team a chance to win.
30twhite40 says
The gravitational force from the Hunters Supermoon tonight is adversely affecting the Lakers.
Joel_ says
This Warriors team is an abomination.
Mid Wilshire says
Although the Lakers’ starting 5 got their heads handed to them tonight, I actually think that games like this are helpful in their own way. These games show the Lakers how they must play to get to the level that they want to ascend to. Simply talking about playing “the right way” in the locker room is one thing. But actually seeing it up-close-and-personal is another. It’s all part of the learning process. Hopefully they’ll take lots of mental notes and internalize these lessons.
Although Jordan Clarkson did not shoot well tonight (neither did D’Angelo Russell, for that matter), I still sense that JC may end up being the Lakers’ best all-around player this year. I think he truly wants to become a decent defender. In addition, his inclination is to remain an attack dog on offense. If he can manage to achieve both of these goals, then he’ll be extremely valuable to this team.
Another note: I like what I saw from Brandon Ingram tonight–12 points (3-6 shooting), 3 assists, one block (but zero rebounds). He’ll definitely contribute this year. Obviously, he’s still learning. But I like what I see.
Finally, Thomas Robinson gets my vote for the last position on the bench over Yi Jianlian. I understand the argument in favor of Yi (he can stretch the floor, he gives the Lakers a dimension that no other big does, he appeals to the Chinese fan base, etc.) over Robinson who is somewhat redundant when compared to Tarik Black (who played well tonight BTW: 8 pts., 6 rebounds, 3 assists in 17:15). And yet, even though we only saw Robinson playing in garbage time tonight, I sense that with his solid defense and his relentless crashing of the boards, his strengths and rebounding skills simply cannot be ignored. I could be wrong on this, but I think the Lakers could end up keeping him over Yi. It’s just a feeling.
We shall see.
adamv37 says
Well, the first half of this game went as badly as possible for the Lakers and just perfect for the Warriors. The Warriors played great D, forced a lot of turnovers and tough shots, while Klay, KD, and Steph were unstoppable. Russell and Huertas forced a lot of bad passes in this game, which caused the offense to look really bad and put the team in tough spots for transition defense.
Nick Young once again looked really good on both sides of the ball, which makes me question if Luke Walton is that good of a coach or if Byron Scott was that bad.
I loved Black’s game, he’s been solid all preseason, but more Zubac please!
The Lakers bench did a good job of reeling in the point spread during the 4th quarter, but it’s obvious that there is still a ton of room for improvement before this team starts contending.
wwlofficial says
adamv37 I think Nick would pass as a decent player, even if he doesn’t do himself a favor quite a few times, during his time w/ MDA and now with Walton. So while I personally like those 2 coaches, its simply a testament of how bad is Byron Scott at his job and its such a relief that he isn’t doing that anymore.
Pbz06 says
I also vote for Robinson to make the team (over Yi). The whole “stretch the floor” thing with Yi is a little overblown, because I can guarantee you teams aren’t shaking in their boots when he’s in the game. It sounds nice on paper and adds a dimension (“he can shoot!”) but in reality considering the minutes he will be getting he probably won’t be playing more than 10 minutes a game or scoring more than a bucket or two.
I think the Lakers should not make the mistake of overlooking potential young players with upside like Robinson. Who cares if he’s redundant with Tarik Black? At this stage of Lakers roster, talent/upside is more important than “fit”.
Yi just looks slow and lumbering to me.
KevTheBold says
Pbz06
Agree that Robinson should be retained.
However,..The Lakers should cut Metta rather than Li.
Li has more use than Metta on the floor for sure.
Metta should be moved from the bench to the staff, as he’s taking up a valuable piece of pine.
Vasheed says
KevTheBold Pbz06
I think it would be awkward for the Lakers to cut Yi. I follow the same sort of reasoning to signing Huertas after acquiring Calderon. If the Lakers do keep Robinson I believe it would be at the expense of Brown. Most likely though I think Robinson will be cut. When was the last time the Lakes cut someone with a guaranteed contract? The most plausible scenario for the Lakers keeping Robinson would be if they made a trade that cleared a roster slot.