I know the caveats. It’s only preseason. Training camp is only a week old. The team is still getting acclimated to new head coach Luke Walton and is still getting up to speed on what he and his staff are installing on both sides of the ball. All of this means don’t take too much away from tonight. And it’s true. You really shouldn’t.
You know what, though? I don’t even care. Lakers’ basketball is back and I’m here for it.
As far as what I expect in this game, the truthful answer is I really don’t know. The Lakers have a brand new team. They will be without Kobe on the roster for the 1st time in 20 seasons. They seem to be handing the keys to several young players and are incorporating (at least) two veterans who will play key roles and weren’t even on the team last season. On top of that, Luke Walton is playing coy with who his starters will be.
And while we do know the team has emphasized defense in the first week of camp and have slowly been laying out offensive sets the team will use, all the newness makes it a real unknown how things will actually look on the floor. Even if I guessed, I would probably end up being wrong.
In saying all that, with the games starting, now is our chance to see how the process is going. And while the answers we get won’t be definitive ones, we at least start to get a sense of how things might unfold in the lead up to the season. There is value in that, even if the takeaways aren’t necessarily lasting ones. With that, here are a handful of things I’ll be watching closely for:
- Will this team get after it defensively? With so much of the focus early in camp on that end, I want to see how that emphasis plays out on the floor. What do the coverages look like? How aggressive are they? Are they communicating?
- How does the rotation look and what choices does Walton go with in this first game? Is Calderon the first PG off the bench? Does Yi get in before Black?
- Speaking of Yi, does his shooting from the first part of camp carry over to game action?
- At any point do the Lakers play small with Deng at PF and either Randle or Nance at C?
- How many players see game action? One of the interesting things that came out of summer league was that the Lakers had so many young guys who were going to be on the regular season roster that some of the fringe guys didn’t get much run. That same dynamic exists in the preseason where there are 20 players on the roster but there are already 15 full or partially guaranteed contracts. Will Walton play any of players slotted 16-20?
- What does this team’s offense look like? While the expectation has been the Lakers will run a lot of what the Warriors run, the small snippets of tape we have gotten from practices looks like the team is running a fair amount of HORNS with motion weak (the basis of the Spurs’ O) mixed in. And then, of course, there has been a lot of P&R. I am interested in seeing if that carries over to the games.
There is much more to watch for, but I will leave it there for now. Because even if we get answers to these questions, it’s not like we can expect any of them to be set in stone. The preseason is a feeling out process for even the most established teams, so that goes doubly for the Lakers.
I am just happy to have the games back at all. Let’s go.
Mid Wilshire says
The biggest change, I believe, is that Kobe will not be there. That alone will make this a VERY different team.
I’m dying of curiosity to see if the emphasis on defense takes hold. That could also distinguish this team from last year’s in a huge way.
For those reasons, and others, this is going to be a more interesting pre-season game than most pre-season games usually are. The result (win/lose) will be irrelevant. But the style of play won’t. We’ll see what happens.
Go Lakers.
lil pau says
reposting: anyone up for a viewing party? Was thinking Biergarten, near 1st and Western.
30twhite40 says
Great to have Lakers basketball back. Looking forward to watching this team this season.
MT87 says
lil pau I’d go but I don’t live in California anymore
MT87 says
I am so freaking excited to have Lakers bball back even with all the caveats
bluehill says
With all the usual and reasonable caveats, Go Lakers!
MT87 says
First impression: They look a little tentative but they are rotating on D and taking some good shots
Mid Wilshire says
So far Jordan Clarkson looks like the Lakers’ best player: 7 pts., 1 assist, and 3 rebounds in 6:29. Ingram is struggling a bit so far. But it’s still early.
fern16 says
Absolutly loving that Randle mid jumper. Looks a lot more fluid than last year.
MT87 says
Mozgov looks solid right now
Mid Wilshire says
At halftime, the Lakers look a bit out of synch. So far they’re shooting 34.1% while Sac is shooting 45.9%. Obviously, the Lakers are still learning to play together.
The ones who have impressed me the most, so far, are Clarkson, Lou Williams, Mozgov, and Black. I also see good things in Deng. But they probably want to give Ingram as many minutes as possible.
MT87 says
Can’t buy a bucket
MT87 says
Lou Williams is ridiculous. That dude get to the free throw line as good as anyone.
Steve Vaughan says
lil pau Hey I live in your neck of the woods. I’m watching at home. But, the season is long …
Steve Vaughan says
I think Zubac will be able to help this team. I’d like to see him get some minutes.
Mid Wilshire says
A remarkable score (even for a pre-season game): GS 89, Clippers 38 midway through the 3rd period. Of course, it’s only pre-season. But even so…
Shaunis007 says
So what happened after halftime?
Was watching then switched to the debate but we looked out of sorts then we ended up winning – what clicked in the 2nd half.
This GS game is like playing 2k on rookie … crazy score
MT87 says
Shaunis007 The kings never put their starters back in. Lakers were sloppy for the first handful of minutes of the 3rd and then the bench came in looked way better than the King’s bench. Black made a good argument for the backup center spot with solid two-way play. Anthony Brown went off, Jose Calderon stretched the floor, and Nance hit a 3 too in addition to his usually solid D. Lou Williams also provided a good deal of instant offense.
In the end the kings bench players just couldn’t score against the Lakers bench players, while the Lakers forced turnovers and gobbled up rebounds.
Mid Wilshire says
Thomas Robinson could make this team. And although it’s only one game (a pre-season one, at that), Anthony Brown looked excellent. But the best Laker on the floor tonight was Tarik Black.
Of course, they’ve all got to sustain that level. It only counts if you do it again…and again. And, of course, they weren’t playing against starters. But Black and Robinson both look rock-solid to me.
I’ll be anxious to see how they do next game.
lalaker14 says
Any win is a good win. The bench was very solid. The starters struggled. We’ve got a lot of work to do and Luke has his hands full. It’s a work in progress but we have the potential to grow into a good team. The defensive effort was much better all around. With a few tweaks and more time in practice the offense will come around. I’m going to stay positive and enjoy the growing pains. Bring on the Nuggets.
Vasheed says
Mid Wilshire
It was a small sample size but, if Anthony Brown can show over training camp that he can hit his shots than that is a big deal. He is the Lakers best perimeter defender. If his offense can keep him on the court it will help improve the team’s defense.
Vasheed says
Mid Wilshire
It was a small sample size but, if Anthony Brown can show over training camp that he can hit his shots than that is a big deal. He is the Lakers best perimeter defender. If his offense can keep him on the court it will help improve the team’s defense.
Mid Wilshire says
Vasheed Mid Wilshire I agree. I also liked Clarkson’s effort on defense last night. In fact, I’m thinking that the Lakers’ best defensive unit may be the following: Clarkson – PG, A. Brown – SG, Ingram – SF, Nance – PF, T. Black – C.
Walton did not play them together as a unit last night. But, if you think of it, they’re our most athletic, intense, in-your-face defenders by far. This could evolve into a good thing.
Of course, only time will tell.
_Craig W says
The best thing I took from the night is the comments that defense will continue to be the great emphasis and that offense will come organically, i.e. Walton will introduce the offense slowly and continue to force defense down everyone’s throat.
You are in the NBA and it is assumed you can shoot. If you want playing time then defend. Yeah!
ED 10 says
I expected more from Russell and Randle.Can`t see both Lou and Nick on the final 15.
Vasheed says
Mid Wilshire Vasheed
I’d like to see that line up. A lot of the time, it is assumed a player is who he is by the time he is in his mid-twenties or so. Clarkson has been really impressive showing steady improvement as an offensive player. If he can show improvement this year on the defensive side that too would be a really big deal.