LAKERS -at- WARRIORS - 10-7-23 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

We’re Back!... The Lakers took the floor with a partial roster to knock the dust off a long summer and warm up for the regular season. No Bron, no AR, but a few new faces to check out on the roster.

Last season, there wasn’t much optimism during the preseason with how the roster was constructed. Once the Lakers came out of the trade deadline with a revamped roster, the question was if there was enough time to build chemistry.

Now we go through our first full preseason with the core of the roster that made it to the Western Conference Finals and optimism is high.

Good outings from AD, Russell and second-year player Max Christie. The new vets added to the roster looked to find their roles, as well. The Laker rookies looked like rookies, which was a bit rough (Hodge actually looked pretty comfortable).

The Lakers fell 125-108, but the score doesn’t matter as two of the stars sat and the team ran long stretches of summer league roster in that second half. Let's jump into some details.


Davis -- -- My main focus in this game was to see where AD’s perimeter game was at. He needs to bounce back after a really poor perimeter impact last year. Tonight, he knocked down 2-3 from three, both makes trailing the break where he could step into them. Good start. He mixed in some drives to the rim where he was too fast, too long to stop. Just 13 minutes of action to get his 15 and 5. I’m curious to see how this team can hold up on the defensive boards. I’m hoping we’ve got some more playable big bodies and we’ll see improvement there this year. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-11 shooting (2-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a -9.

Russell -- -- Just an excellent game. We were down two playmakers with Bron and Reaves out, so Russell had to step up there and did so with 5 assists in the half that he played. He said he feels like he can play his best when he’s playing with another point guard on the floor and appreciated that ability from Gabe. Those two seem like a much more comfortable duo than Russell/Schroder. The ball will move better, the offense should flow better. Really good work scoring at all levels from Russell. The three ball was falling, he found his midrange after a couple misses early and then he got to the rim with some shiftiness, as well. He should have had 18 points in the first half after knocking down a 55-footer at the buzzer, but they started the clock too soon and then said his shot didn’t count because it came after the buzzer. They realized their mistake and gave the Lakers the ball back with 0.6 left on the clock, but erased the three…weak. I think the continuity will do Russell some good this year and elevate his game. He’s a finesse player and the more the team can build up their chemistry and playbook, the more consistent impact he can make. Defensively, the team seemed to put him in lineups with a lot of our better defenders. We’ll see if that still holds as the preseason rotations get figured out. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting (2-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a +8.

Vanderbilt -- -- All you want is for him to add a more respectable three ball, something that pulls defenders too him more often. That would take a lot more nights like tonight where he made 2-3 from the corners. The Lakers ran a Vando/Hayes combo. I don’t know how sustainable that is. It certainly wouldn’t have been last year, but it looked comfortable enough in this one. Hayes even hit him in the corner for one of his threes. The team needs Vando’s energy on the boards and to shut down an opponent. I think rather than the Hayes/Vando combo, I think Wood makes Vando much more playable. You get that floor spacing and you can run Vando out of the dunker spot or bring him up to set some screens or handoffs in some 5-out sequences with that combo. As soon as we signed Wood, my first thought was that this will help Vando find more minutes. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (2-3 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +2.

Hachimura -- -- Really quiet to start this game. You didn’t notice he was on the floor for the first half of the first quarter. He was a bit inefficient in transition early on, as well. Loved seeing him overpower Kuminga on an And-1 drive where he scored a layup on a spin. That’s the power we want. He showed the range by sinking a wing three later in the game, going 1-2 from three. He also got into the post for one of his turnarounds late in the game. Not a lot of his midrange area work, though. He would have had a much better game if he could have finished some of those transition opportunities. Defensively, he had a nice help-side rejection at the rim. Hoping we see a lot more of that from the team this year. I don’t know if I noticed anything specific in his body that made me believe he’d play differently than last year, but just one game. Some good moments of footwork on offense. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-12 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to gow tih 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +6.

Vincent -- -- With Reaves resting, Gabe got the start. He was easing himself into the mix. Sometimes he can be really aggressive to start games, but in this one, he kind of sat back. Eventually, he got into a little chemistry with AD on the two-man game. In the second half, he knocked down a couple of threes. We basically swapped Schröder for Vincent in the rotation. Offensively, that floor spacing made an impact. When a player tried to pinch in and take away a drive, we kicked it to Gabe and he made him pay. That’s kind of the most obvious scenario, but also look how he gets defended. Guys where going over the top of screens versus going under them like they do with Schröder. Trailing him off the screen, means a big has to address him. Now you throw in a guy like Bron or Wood who can just pop to the wing with a step and you’ve got wide open threes. So defenses are going to have to play us differently this year. Dennis was great in his own ways, but I think this should work much better for this team. Defensively, he’s a willing defender and can put some full court pressure at times. Dennis was better at that, but Vincent is capable and should be better in the strength areas where the team had some issues trying to protect Dennis in the playoffs. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-6 shooting (2-4 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 20 minutes. He was a -9.

Christie -- -- I’m just excited to see how this season unfolds for him. He dominated in the summer and picked right up in this one. I really just don’t see them keeping him out of the rotation. He’s been too efficient offensively. The jumper from midrange to three looks like money. The confidence is only growing. Defensively, he gives the team a difference maker on the boards from the guard spot. The stats don’t even do justice how his length just keeps the ball away from offensive rebounders even if he doesn’t get the board. He stays with guys and gets good challenges in. Shows length in the passing lanes. He’s got the three ball, the midrange and can attack the rim with that length and first step that is looking quicker. After he hit a three on the previous possession, he pushed the ball up court, froze the D with a hesi at the three line and accelerated for a layup. The league is sleeping on him right now, but I think he’s going to be an x-factor for the team. The thought was when we drafted him that if he came out this year instead of last, he would be likely a lottery pick. So we got him early, he showed the work ethic, now let’s see how that holds up this season. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting (2-4 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 25 minutes. He was a -4.

Prince -- -- Strange game for him with five fouls in 8 first half minutes. Just the way it was going, I think. He scored one bucket, a nice sequence where he got the ball on the move on the perimeter (we should see this a lot), he read the D, attacked the paint and scored a layup. Defensively, outside of the fouls, he showed some nice help D with a perimeter reach that knocked a ball loose (he’s pretty good at that). I think he’ll become a key rotation piece as the team dials in their game. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal and 6 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -15.

Wood -- -- I’m surprised he finished with just 5 points. He was much more aggressive than that and missed some chippies. A lot of iso. He got a couple of those to go, one a spin into a runner. Another, he stepped through a double team and hit a short one in the paint. The team’s execution isn’t sharp right now. You saw a little confusion on the double drag and on a handoff or two where he could have gotten the ball for an open three. Cool seeing the team play both him and AD on the floor at the same time. This provides more rim protection and challenges from the weakside, but also in transition. With Wood up top, he’ll be able to get back and provide more deterrence on the break, which was a problem last year with our smaller lineups. Both of those instance came to play in this one and prevented scores. Really looking forward to seeing Bron on the floor with Wood and our guard shooting. That should open up some lanes and even the post for Bron more. Lots of potential here. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-8 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 20 minutes. He was a -16.

Hayes -- -- “I haven’t played with a guy like that in a long time,” DLo said of Hayes and his lob threat abilities. You could see a little bit of chemistry between the two as Hayes got his first bucket rolling to the hoop when DLo found him. You bring Bron and Reaves also into the mix and they will maximize that vertical threat even more. Some short-roll work with him, as well, tonight. He charged on one, but found Christie for a three on another. You wish he was a bit more of a presence out there defensively than this (just take up one more level than this with energy and disruption). I like his ability to switch just about anywhere on the floor. The team showed some of that with him switch and then scramming with a guard. That is, hopefully, how they use him on D. He had a strong challenge on a three to force a brick and went to the floor for a loose ball. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting (1-3 from the line to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +7.

Reddish -- -- On the good side I thought he showed some moments on defense, staying in front of his men and competing well. He had some moments of disruption there. Offensively, he missed all his shots and had 3 turnovers. Pretty awful. Bummer he sprained his ankle late in the game. It’s going to be tough for him to make the rotation and PT in preseason is important for a guy like him. I think Christie is looking too good. Reaves also takes a huge chunk of minutes and wasn’t playing tonight. The Stats: He scored 1 point on 0-4 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a -22.

Hood-Schifino -- -- Well, most rookies aren’t a net positive on the floor in their first season. JHS was a bit of a trainwreck at times as the speed, size and general athleticism level up for him. There’s an adjustment period for sure. The coaches said he played great in his first practice, but running the point is a tough position to pick up in the NBA as a lot is happening very quickly. He did a good job getting guys on his hip or in jail and using his size keeping them there while trying to control the speed and read the floor. Still, just 2 assists with 3 turnovers. He struggled finishing around the rim, which was a concern. He was reasonably aggressive with the three ball and knocked down one in four attempts (an iso three, which showed some confidence). His bread and butter is getting space in the midrange, bumping off defenders and pulling up. I’m not going to nitpick this one too much as rookies just need to get that first one out of the way. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-11 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 6 boards (2 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -14.

Hodge -- -- AD mentioned him after the game as making an immediate impact. Still think he’d be the easiest player to find some minutes for among the rookies. JHS has too big a responsibility, Castleton has too many bigs in front of him, Lewis isn’t ready. Hodge could slot in as a 3 and D guard. Just play tough D and hit the three. That’s what he showed in his minutes tonight with a number of deflections and pressure on the perimeter. His three shot has a quick release and looks like money. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-7 shooting (2-6 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal, 1 block and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -5.

Castleton -- -- He got the garbage time run with the summer league squad. What you want to see with him is how well he handles the NBA size and guard speed, but he didn’t really face any big NBA bodies. He tipped in his own miss in transition for a bucket. Showed that handle against some pressure pushing the ball up court. Feel out minutes for him. The Lakers have some depth with their bigs this year, so he has plenty of time to put on more strength and work on that perimeter shot. He missed a 15-footer late in the game. It was rare in college he shot from the perimeter, but I think that will be a point of emphasis along with the strength this year. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-6 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards (3 offensive), 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -5.

Lewis -- -- Came in when Cam got went down. He looked a little more confident than he did in summer league, which still means he’s a ways away. He was fouled on a drive for FTs. He hit a pull-up three on iso. He attacked and kicked to Hodge for a three. He threw an awful pass trying to hit Fudge and hit the backboard instead. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-2 shooting from three (2-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a -4.

Fudge -- -- The last Laker to get on the board. He attacked across the lane aggressively for a banked hook. He then blew a breakaway dunk shortly later. I expect him to be a project G-League two-way where they focus on turning him into a Vando-like player. The other two-ways will have a better chance at getting some PT this year. Also, I think the Lakers need to carry 15 in order to have three two-way players? The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 1 offensive board in 8 minutes. He was a -5.

Ham -- -- Hard to read too much in this game without two key players. We did see lineup combo’s of AD/Wood, AD/Vando and Hayes/Vando. Spacing and length in one and D and not as much spacing in the others. He’s looking at all the mixes. In the second half, he started a Wood/Rui bigman combo. Some switching from appropriate bigmen on D, which is a good sign… Christie and JHS got a lot of minutes. I think when you bring back Reaves, JHS falls out of the rotation there. It’s then up to Reddish and Christie battling for minutes. Max dominated that and Cam sprained his ankle late, likely setting him back further. High praise from AD and Ham for Christie afterward…

Note: Would love to have more people step in and cover games this year to provide some different perspectives (as well as get me some nights off). If you're interested, let me know!

[mhan00]

Sucky result, but it was nice to see Laker basketball again. Can’t wait until Austin and Lebronare back in the lineup.

[RhodyRay]

Welcome back DB!

Lakers are back too. Hopefully this team can stay healthy enough to win another chip!

DB keep on doing what you do.
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Let them HATE so long as they FEAR!

[mad55557777]

Hodges looking good out there.

[Nobody]

Thanks, DB!

Hard game to watch, but at least Laker basketball is back.

[joeblow]

Very disappointing defensive stand out there tonight. There were spurts of aggression and effectiveness in slowing down the Warriors' offensive flow, but it wasn't consistent, especially in running them off the three. The Dubs scored 30+ in every quarter except one (where they scored "only" 29).

Besides defense, the rebounding effort was horrible. The Lakers lost the battle of the boards 74 to only 54. I'll even give Ham credit for using fairly big lineups throughout, so the results there don't fall on him except to force the front court players to crash the paint harder during shot attempts.

Reddish was offensively disappointing as DB pointed out. Even his play making decisions were head scratchers that created some turnovers. Still, he was one of the only players guarding his man at the three point line effectively it seemed.

One aspect of Vandy's game (besides the long ball mentioned in the OP) that was a pleasant surprise was how aggressive he was with moves in the paint as he aggressively looked to score. It wasn't always successful (or pretty), but it seems to be an aspect of his game he is emphasizing this season. He stopped doing it after the first quarter, but hopefully he keeps polishing his game in that way.

AD looks ready for the season. Very impressive focus and aggression in the first pre-season game.

Nice job Max! It's amazing how fast he has developed so far on both sides of the court.

Slow down DHS! He was pressing a bit and his outside shot seems too streaky at this time.

D'Lo was mightily impressive offensively, but the Warriors did attack his defense on some plays in the first quarter. As a regular season scorer and play maker, we could be doing a lot worse... hopefully he can be at leacet decently effective in the playoffs this time if we keep him on the team by then.

I still need to see more of what the new faces have to offer. Prince, Gabe, and Wood weren't terrible, but didn't stand out as much as I hoped either. Oh well, it's just one game. Jaxsomn looked pretty good tho.

[Laker7]

Welcome Back DB and good job!

The Good: AD, DLo, Christie, Vando and Hayes
The Bad: JHS, Vincent, Wood
The Ugly: Prince, Reddish
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Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[wolfpaclaker]

Despite all the offseason talk, we went with AD at the 5. Wood/Hayes both came off the bench.

If there was a time where you would develop some of the growing pains of those bigger lineups, it would be now in preseason. If we were at all serious about playing Hayes with AD, or Wood with AD, the time to develop those lineups are now in preseason when you don't have games that count in your playoff standing.

My guess all along is the coaching staff will not move AD away from the 5, despite the talk from Pelinka. They want some continuity from last season's WCF run (Understandable). It's very risky from their perspective to move AD back to starting 4. Yes it could work in the longrun, but it could also fail miserably and you've wasted a number of potential RS wins in the process. Which is why, I would have like to see some commitment and run towards it now in the presason, if we at all plan on using these lineups later on (but if we're not planning to, then it's all moot).

It will come down to who they feel will be better between Rui and Vandy next to AD, Bron, Reaves and DLO. Based on the short run yesterday and no Lebron, Vandy made a solid case. DLO/Reaves/AD have a lot of chemistry (even with AR out). What we need is some defensive help around Lebron/DLO who can become a little suspect on D. I think Vandy is the best defensive fit for us, but maybe they will go with the better player on offense (Rui). Until Rui shows me consistent D, I think we're better off starting Vanderbilt. He can do a lot more stuff for us in the RS grind.

[governator]

Hmm, like get one now? A non-guarantee up to buyout? Or straight get a Biyombo?

[pio2u]

THX DB!

[TDRock]

Thanks DB

wolfpaclaker and A Mad - sounds like it's time for y'all to step in as relief pitchers
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#IStillBelieveTaurean

[ocho]

[ChefLinda]

Thanks, DB!

[Aeneas Hunter]

It seems that some of the board members were more impressed with Vanderbilt than I was. I hope you're right.

I was a little embarrassed for Reddish. He was hard to watch.
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Internet Argument Resolved

[DancingBarry]

[Aeneas Hunter]

[Laker's Fan]

I get the first pre-season game disclaimer. But in its rawness, it shows who has put in the work to be ready for the season. Rookies don’t necessarily qualify since their first year is about acclimating. But for everyone else, if you aren’t five minutes early, you’re late.

Reddish, Prince and Wood didn’t look ready to me.
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Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.

[joeblow]

[dcarter4kobe]