Concerns surrounding the Lakers before the start of preseason.
The Lakers will be playing their first game of the preseason tonight against the Sacramento Kings in what we’re all hoping is the start of a promising season after last season’s disastrous campaign.
There are many questions surrounding this Lakers team, and here are some of the things to look for this season.
Anthony Davis’ health:
The fate of the 2022–23 Lakers relies heavily on the health of Anthony Davis throughout the season. This Lakers team will run through and around Davis offensively and defensively, making him the main focal point of their success.
The first injury status report of the season was released yesterday, and Anthony Davis was already listed on the report (along with Troy Brown Jr., Dennis Schröder, and Lonnie Walker IV) with low back tightness, giving all Laker fans a worry of deja vu.
Anthony Davis’ injury history is something that hasn't been too good for him from the start of his college days at Duke. In all, Davis has missed roughly 23% of his regular season games throughout his ten-year career.
The sky's the limit for the Lakers. If Davis is able to stay healthy this season, with his all-star caliber, he’ll definitely be back on top as one of the perennial players in the NBA, as he’s shown seasons before when healthy.
Russell Westbrook’s fit in Darvin Ham’s system:
Westbrook has been tied to multiple teams via trade this summer, as the Lakers have been trying to deal with his bad contract ($47M) and overall fit with the team.
The rumors of Westbrook leaving the Lakers will be talked about continuously throughout this season as long as he's in a Lakers uniform, but for now, he’s on the roster, and the big question surrounding Westbrook is how he will fit into this system and the players around him.
There’s no assurance that Russell Westbrook will be in the starting lineup since Darvin Ham stated on media day that he hasn’t selected who would be the starting point guard, but they have “several options.”
“We’re still ways away. We got several options. We got to have a defensive mindset. Those are the guys that are going to get minutes. [Russ] told me personally he’s going to commit to that side of the ball.” Ham said.
The bright side of all the drama and fiasco surrounding Russell Westbrook is that he is “all in” this season, according to GM Rob Pelinka.
“Whether they want me here or not doesn’t really matter. My job is to be a professional and show up to work as I’ve always done." Westbrook said.
In order to succeed, Russ needs to buy into Ham’s system and commit to their goals on defense this season. Ham emphasized the importance of the defensive end in helping create offense, and Russ will have a familiar teammate in Dennis Schröder to compete with, who knows Ham’s system in his days with the Atlanta Hawks.
How will the second unit look for the Lakers:
Another big question mark surrounding the Lakers' roster is their second and third units. With the addition of:
Patrick Beverly
Lonnie Walker IV
Juan Toscano-Anderson
Thomas Bryant
Troy Brown Jr.
Damian Jones
The unit off the bench has questions about how well they can play together in this system, making the preseason that much more important to help build chemistry with tenured Lakers players and players in the starting unit.
There are concerns with how the Lakers view Patrick Beverly, stating that he is considered a 3-and-D wing in this system. Beverly is capable of guarding players who are bigger than him, preferably forwards and big guards, but that’s still a big question mark penciling him in as a wing player.
Who will start at Center?
The battle for the starting center position is between 27-year-old Damian Jones and 25-year-old Thomas Bryant. It looks as though Jones has the upper hand right now in the starting unit based on his true center size, but don’t count Thomas Bryant out of starting at the five this season.
With the possibility of Westbrook in the lineup, and AD shooting from three last season (18%), the Lakers could benefit from shooting from their center for spacing, which brings the question, can Damian Jones be consistent from three?
“I’m comfortable shooting there,” Jones said after practice. “I’ve been getting a lot of reps in. Throughout the years, my percentages have been getting better as I’m shooting them. So, it’s good.” Jones said.
The Lakers will need to find some outside shooting in surprising spots given their roster and desire for as much floor spacing as possible. Ham wants the Lakers to frequently use a 4 out 1 in motion offense, which places one player on the baseline (the “dunker spot”) and four others behind the 3-point line.
Jones shot just 10 for 29 (34%) from three last season, but according to Ham, the 27-year-old big has shown in practice and in drills that he is “more than capable” of making three-pointers to keep defenders on their toes.
“No disrespect to Robin, but if I have Robin Lopez making threes, I’m sure I can make Damian Jones make threes,” Ham said.
How will the Lakers monitor LeBron?
With the Lakers’ historically disastrous season last year and all-time points leader in sight, there isn’t any indication of Lebron slowing down this season, showing no sign of that in his career. LeBron has already said he’ll play more in this preseason than he did last season (three games).
Entering his 20th season, one of the most important decisions this team will make is maintaining the balance of Lebron’s energy during the regular season to help maintain as much freshness to his legs as possible.
Treating the preseason in a more serious manner than in years past could benefit the Lakers and fast-track the teams chemistry and cohesiveness ahead of the regular season opener on October 18th against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
