The Lakers lost their 4th straight preseason game — and 2nd straight to the Warriors — on Tuesday night, but that L doesn’t quite tell the entire story. While several key players did not play as well as one would hope (Russell and, especially, Clarkson), there were some positives displayed from others.
Brandon Ingram had his best game of the preseason, taking over ball handling duties in the 4th quarter and acting as the do-it-all wing the organization (and fans) hope he can develop into. Even when paired with Russell, Ingram initiated the offense while still being aggressive in looking for (and making) his own shot. He finished the night with 21 points on only 10 field goal attempts, 7 rebounds, with 4 assists to 0 turnovers.
Beyond Ingram, Nick Young played another good game starting in place of Luol Deng who got another night off. Nick hit 7 of his 13 shots, including 5-10 from distance, to score 19 points. He also, again, played hard defensively in doing his best to try and slow Kevin Durant. That didn’t happen, but Young played good position defense, fought through picks, and contested shots well. Durant just did what he typically does anyway.
Beyond those guys, though, there was even more to talk about so after the game I joined Danny Leroux of Real GM, the Sporting News, and The Athletic NorCal for his Locked On Warriors Podcast. We covered a wide array of topics, discussing everything from Tuesday’s game action to team building to league-wide trends. Give it a listen after the jump.
LT Mitchell says
– Was that Brandon Ingram or the Greek Freak out there last night? Ingram’s ceiling is similar to the Greek Freak’s, but with better range from the outside.
– If I had watched all the preseason games without knowing anything about anyone on this team, I would have likely concluded that Nick Young is the Lakers’ best player. There, I said it.
– I’d like to see more of Nance with the starters and more of Randle with the second unit.
matt24 says
Good comparison, probably more accurate than the durant one
adamv37 says
Russell, Randle, and Clarkson all had poor outings overall, showing a few flashes of brilliance between lots of bad turnovers and forced shots. That’s where the youth and inexperience really shines bright against a veteran squad that can kill you with your own mistakes. I’m glad the game stayed close enough that it still seemed competitive and the starters were still rotating in for the 4th.
Mozgov looked fantastic and worth every penny, especially on that play he got the chase down block on KD. Sounds like his injury is not big deal… I’m still amongst the skeptics on the terms of his contract but he obviously deserved to get paid.
Huertas had another bad night but Lou Williams looked good coming off the bench and Swaggy P continues to be one of our best players. Figuring out the rotation with this second unit is probably going to be Luke Walton’s toughest job.
Last but not least, Ingram looked awesome! I love when he’s being aggressive on offense and I think we’ll see him playing more like that as he gains confidence and Luke gives him more minutes.
willsan says
i agree with LT Mitchell….Ingram is the REAL DEAL..This kid would be the real FRANCHISE PLAYER TO LA. He got everything;
sweet shot
handle
3 point shot
court vision
unselfish actitude (not like Russell)
he can create a mismatch vs anybody
defense
rebound
push tempo
BRANDON INGRAM SHIRT WILL BE HANGING IN THE STAPLES IN 20 YEARS. ALONGSIDE WITH BANNERS OF CHAMPIONSHIPS
matt24 says
Warriors weakness, they are spoiled, it’s usually too easy, and when it gets hard it discourages them.
Maybe I’m just speculating