In this episode of the Laker Film Room Podcast, Pete and I talk about our first impression of the 2018-19 Lakers in the wake of their preseason opener vs. the Denver Nuggets.
We start out discussing LeBron James and how he was probably going about 60% (generous), how he wasn’t really that assertive in looking for his own shot, how good his passing was, and balancing the need to have him in the lineup for continuity and chemistry building reasons with him clearly not needing preseason to get himself ready for the regular season.
We then got into Rajon Rondo’s play, his management of the offense, and how his passing — both in the halfcourt and via hit-aheads — aided the offense. This transitioned us nicely into a conversation about the second unit, how poorly they performed as a group, and whether Lance Stephenson (who shot very well) could be looked to as the main culprit for the stagnating flow of that group.
Over the course of the rest of the pod we got into JaVale McGee’s good game, the Kyle Kuzma as Center experiment, and much more. It was a good discussion that we hope you enjoy. Give the full episode a listen below.
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https://soundcloud.com/user-456873398/first-impressions-of-the-2018-19-lakers