Lakers’ Opening Night: What to Look for Against the Rockets

The Lakers begin the 2014-2015 season tonight at home against the Houston Rockets. The Lakers stunned the Rockets last season in their first matchup against Dwight Howard since he left the team after the 2012-13 season. However, the next three times the Lakers faced the Rockets, they lost by a combined 55 points.

The Lakers certainly hope to fare better this season against Houston with Kobe Bryant back in the fold after missing almost all of last season, and all of the Lakers’ games against the Rockets. Houston lost Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and essentially gifted Jeremy Lin to the Lakers during this past off-season. They did add Trevor Ariza, but on paper Houston is definitely not as good as they were last year.

It should be an interesting test for the Lakers in a new era under Byron Scott. Here are three things that you should be looking for in tonight’s game:

1. Will Julius Randle be able to break into the rotation?

I don’t think that anybody will argue with me when I say Julius Randle is future of the Lakers. The rookie power forward out of Kentucky showed moments of brilliance in the preseason, when Byron Scott would actually put (and keep) him in the game.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Scott has a tendency to rely heavily on veterans, and with Carlos Boozer in tow, Scott may be unwilling to give the rookie meaningful minutes in a real game.

If Randle is able to get in the game, it will be fun to watch him go against the Rockets’ front-court, which outside of Dwight Howard isn’t known to be an elite defensive presence. Randle should have his way if he is able to get some meaningful minutes.

The Lakers played well in the preseason with Randle on the court. It would be nice to see him show the NBA why he was a lottery pick.

2. How will Kobe perform against an elite defender?

Kobe was able to have a few impressive moments during the preseason. He was able to score. However, he was not efficient. At all. Against elite defenders like Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, Kobe was able to hit some very difficult shots, but he was unable to get separation most of the time. When defenders crowded him, he struggled to blow by them. The Lakers cannot expect Kobe to hit impossible shots all night.

Trevor Ariza should be matched up with Kobe. Ariza is no slouch on defense, and he is very familiar with Kobe. It will be interesting to see if Kobe is able to create space and get to his spots. Ariza is more athletic and ‘longer’ than Kobe. If Kobe is unable to create space, he will struggle getting his shot off over the lanky Ariza. If Kobe is unable to score then this Lakers team will struggle mightily on the offensive end of the floor.

Oct 21, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots over Phoenix Suns forward Marcus Morris (15) during overtime at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

3. Are the Lakers really not going to shoot 3-pointers?

Byron Scott said that he wanted this team to shoot no more than 10-15 3-pointers a game this season. That is a horrible idea. The Memphis Grizzlies had the fewest 3-point attempts of any team in the NBA last year with 15 per game. The Memphis Grizzlies also had a smothering defense and a grind-it-out style that would allow them to survive without the 3-pointer.

It makes no sense to not shoot a shot that is worth more points. A long 2-pointer is a worse shot than a 3-pointer. The Lakers should be a bottom-5 defensive team in the NBA this season, in my opinion, so they need to rely more heavily on the three-point shot if they want to win games.

The Lakers will need to be able to hit three-pointers in order to compete with the Rockets, who are clearly a better basketball team. If they abandon the three and are unable to defend Houston, this game could get very ugly very quickly.

My prediction: 110-98. Houston wins. Too much Harden. Too much Dwight.