Los Angeles Lakers: Assessment after two preseason games

The Los Angeles Lakers have two preseason games’ worth of footage to dissect and here is what we have taken away from the debut of the new-look Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers opened up the NBA preseason with the first two games against the Denver Nuggets. Although they lost both games, there were some things I liked as well some things I did not like. Let’s take a look at the likes first.

Like:

Ball Movement

TheLos Angeles Lakers’ ball movement looks fantastic, everybody seems to be looking to set up their teammates. There was a possession in the first half where each player touched the ball before a shot was attempted.

Ball movement will take the Lakers a long way this year because they will have high-quality shots. The only thing they need to be cautious of is over passing.

There was a play in the second quarter where Lance Stephenson kicked it to Kyle Kuzma for an open three, and he passed up the shot to Josh Hart who was also open. I think Kuzma should have taken the shot, so did Lance.

JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee is off to a strong start this preseason scoring 15 and 17 points in the first two games. McGee runs the floor well and its easy creating baskets for him with the excellent passes the Lakers have.

All he has to roll to the basket and his teammates will find him. He is also providing outstanding rim protection, something the Lakers have lacked for years. RIm protection is key to playing the up-tempo style the Lakers want to play.

Don’t like:

Kyle Kuzma playing center

It does not look good to me when the Lakers put Kyle Kuzma at center. Kuzma will not be able to guard opposing centers with a post up skills.

He may be able to take them off the dribble on the offensive end, but he will be in foul trouble from banging in the post. Also, playing Kuzma at center hurt the Lakers rebounding when McGee goes out of the game. The Lakers struggling to rebound is not the way the Lakers want to play.

Kuzma at center could work when opposing teams go small, but I think coach Luke Walton needs to scrap the Kuzma at center idea. The Lakers need to go out and find a reliable backup center.

Too Many Open Three-Pointers 

The Lakers are giving up way to many open looks from three. When the season starts, that cannot happen. In today’s NBA, teams are looking to shoot the three ball, so you must be able to defend the three-point line.

The Lakers need to tighten up on the defensive rotations; the guards are not rotating out to the shooters. This could be due to getting familiar to new teammates, but there is time to get it fixed before the season start.

It has been only two preseason games, so it is time for the Lakers to improve on what they need to improve on. It will take some time for the team to jell, but I can see the Los Angeles Lakers surprising people this year.