A sigh of relief could be heard at the loading dock of the Lakers’ makeshift house in the Palm Springs area.
The Lakers’ regulars halted play in the third quarter after a loss to the Phoenix Suns, marking the first milestone since the end of preseason games. They had made it through training camp, proving to themselves that they had what it took to be the elite squad they had envisioned.
Coach Darvin Ham was pleased with his team’s communication and said, “I’m impressed with the guys communicating, the continuity of before I could even have a chance to say anything in terms of correcting something — be it defensively, offensively.” They have already been talking about it amongst themselves. Simply a shift in playcalling, with the team clearly taking its time to consider all of its alternatives.
“… We have an opportunity to stand out.”
However, the Lakers still have some glaring weaknesses. The Lakers’ bench needed a playmaker after losing Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino to injuries. Even though LeBron James was able to go toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant for half, the Lakers still got roasted in transition, which was a concern for them all of last season as well.
“Work and interaction. Anthony Davis emphasized these two points. You’re back there hustling, you’re back there running, and you still don’t have a man. You can’t merely visit your man; instead, you must go out and seek out a potential partner. Coming back instead of tagging along with your partner and then trying to talk to him.
The Lakers want to keep D’Angelo Russell’s play going strong even if improving their transition defense is a priority for them this season.
In the preseason, Russell had a 57.4 field goal percentage, a 45.5% three-point clip, and 5.2 assists per game.
Ham predicted, “I feel like he’s going to have a big, big year.” This prediction dates back to the summer. Observing the vicious manner in which he was attacking his body. To witness the intensity of his workouts in the gym. Again, shared hardship bonds people together.The [conference finals] series he had against Denver wasn’t indicative of who he is as a basketball player, despite how difficult it was. For a person like him and the way he’s been indoctrinated from what I’ve seen of him, that’s just more gasoline for the fire.
On Tuesday, they’ll travel to Denver for their season opener before hosting the Suns on Thursday.
Austin Reaves, who led the team in scoring this preseason after competing for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, is also expected to be available for the Lakers when the regular season begins.
The feeling is mutual, as Reaves put it. We were organized and methodical. That’s right; I’m in superb shape. I think I’ve had enough practice at this point. The season has me feeling confident and the breeze is nice. This is a good time overall. I can’t wait for the regular season to begin.
The Lakers were 2-4 in the preseason, displaying enough potential to live up to preseason hype but also enough adversity to keep fans from going completely bonkers.
As the Lakers neared the end of the preseason, they were without three key players: Jarred Vanderbilt (sore heel), Chris Vincent (tight back), and Kyle Hood-Schifino (sore knee). But other than that, we’re all set as a squad.
Overall, I thought we presented quite well. We demonstrated what we’re capable of,” Davis added. Our coach said, “Now we get a couple of days to kind of regroup and tighten the screws up and go back into an environment we just ended in and try to get our first win.”