5 THINGS

While it shouldn’t, these sort of things matter. At least in Laker Land they do. Generally a fanbase is pretty blase’ about their respective teams’ W/L record during camp and preseason. Lakers fans need look back to just over a decade ago when Mike “The Notebook” Brown wen’t 0-fer in the preseason which bled into the regular season and he was subsequently canned. So, in a way, it’s a relief that the first “win” is out of the way, however meaningless it truly happens to be. Which brings us to the Lakers/Nets game last night, let’s dig in.

1. The brave new world of the made three pointer. The Lakers shot the three ball well with the group they started with (D-Lo, Reaves, Prince, james and AD) at 13-23 (good for 56%). While I don’t expect Prince to start games (mainly because he is a fouling machine out there…) it was nice to see the offense operate as a well-oiled machine. Overall the bench was a little more off the mark (7 of 32 aka 21%) which led us to an overall 36ish% from beyond the arc and, in particular, the rookies struggled mightily. All in all, a fairly promising showing in that department. Still, i was glad that Coach Ham went out of his way to mention that living and loving the paint are the bread and butter of the team.
2. The elusive 5th starter. Prince was a surprise for many (but really all one had to do was look at the injury report and see that Vando was sitting out due to heel soreness along with Cam who had a sore ankle). Some may clamor to start Rui but I don’t see that happening, at least not out of the gate this season. It feels like Vando’s job to lose at this point. I base that on the following observations: Prince is a fouling machine on defense which means his role will have extreme limits on this team, yes he made some threes last night. Won’t move the Ham Needle, or mine. Rui makes so much sense off the bench. He can backup three different positions against most opponents: either forward and center. Vando can set a tone, try and lock down the other team’s best scorer, and I believe he can make enough threes to help keep the defense a little more honest.
3. LeBron and Reaves debut. Reaves has been eased into the season after his lengthy stint with USA basketball. He didn’t look like he missed a beat last night making the kind of smart, smooth plays we’ve become accustomed to. LeBron looked like an elder statesman easing his way into the season. That’s fine and frankly it’s exactly what he should be doing. I won’t be surprised if both players miss the next game, or at least LeBron. In general, the first rule of preseason is get everyone out healthy.
4. AD looks locked in. Everything is working right now for the Lakers cog. AD is the essential gear that makes this whole machine work. If he’s on, we hum. When he’s off, we grind and skid. His defense last night was superb, highlighted by 3 blocks. he shot with confidence and determination, not nearly as much waffling when he got the ball. This kind of showing needs to be his status quo, his modus operandi for the entire season.
5. Laker Kids nearly coughed it up. Which wouldn’t have mattered all that much…except because they didn’t it can prove to be a valuable learning step and a confidence booster, as well. Nothing has really changed my perception that Max will be the only Laker Kid with a role of significance, if we need any of the others it means somebody is hurt. JHS and Hodges both struggled mightily with their shot and that unit couldn’t defend a rock stuck in cement but they gritted it out, which is admirable.

Honorable mention goes to Lonnie Walker the iVth who looked like he had one thing on his mind: Beat LA.Also, that Ben Simmons dude played Cool. Hope he’s right top to bottom, inside and out.

In a mildly surprising affair the Lakers elected to simply pick at their respective draft positions. In general the Draft was a quiet one with few surprises, few trades and nothing landscape altering. I think a lot of teams are using this grace season to measure how the cost of the team they’re fielding impacts winning, at least for the first few months. So, instead of trading our pick(s) or player(s) we simply did the picking.

1. Jalen Hood-Schifino. Since I don’t watch college hoops I have no idea how this kid plays. Based on the various sources one could choose to peruse on the internet the obvious take-away is we drafted a big guard (6’6″) who can make plays out of the pick and roll, not very athletic, not a great finisher or shooter. So a defensive version of D’Angelo Russell. While not overwhelming (I was kind of surprised we didn’t draft the guy who went next, UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.) it’s hard to argue with a couple of things: the Lakers success in unearthing gems in the draft and our track record of developing young players into serviceable NBA players. While not every project turns out like Austin Reaves, if we can re-create the defensive wizardry we had in Alex Caruso (solid team defender with decent ball hawk skills) and turn the floaters and midrange pull ups into more polished drives to the rim and catch and shoot threes at a decent clip we might have nice complimentary player off the bench. To my eyes Jalen looks a little more like a project than an instant impact player but that’s generally what you get outside the top ten. He also could show us something in summer league and training camp we’re not expecting.
2. Maxwell Lewis. A 6’11 PF/C with a lot of upside and questions about polish, focus and overall ceiling. Some drafts had him in the lottery, some in e the top 30, ultimately the Lakers swapped picks and paid some cash to move up a few spots to seemingly make sure they drafted him. He put up decent numbers but ona pretty awful college team. Not the best indicator of future NBA impact I expect Maxwell to primarily play with the G League affiliate for the most part next season, barring injuries. Like Jalen, I’m hoping our player development can get him to be more impactful on defense, clean up his decision-making and improve his overall game. he’ll also need to add some muscle, at 6’11 195 he’s going to get bounced and bullied out of position so I’m looking at a year or so down the line before his role is a meaningful one.
3. Colin Castleton. Immediately after the draft concluded it was announced that the Lakers had signed Colin Castleton to a two-way deal. A rare 5 year senior with the Florida Gators the 23 year-old posted some solid numbers in his final collegiate season and could see some time early in the season if the Lakers don’t immediately trade for a backup big and Mo Bamba continues to remain outside the main rotation for Darvin Ham as he did, for the most part, since his arrival. While not possessing a wealth of upside at 23, this is a solid, low-risk move by the Lakers to add some needed size that could fill in as-is right now. Some people will want to point out the similarities to Austin Reaves but Reaves and his agent turned down signing with other teams, potentially, and fell out of the draft completely as a result. While a top 100 draft prospect I didn’t see many (any?) draft boards that had Colin as a selection.
4. D’Moi Hodge. Another 5 year senior from Mizzou the one thing that jumps off the page when looking at this dude is 40% from three. Now, granted, that’s the short porch college three but his overall FG% of 47.7 is pretty solid for a college kid. At 6’4″ he can also play some defense so one has to start wondering how this guy didn’t end up getting drafted? Streaky shooting and playing the 3 when he probably out to be playing as a SG may have contributed to his fall. Other than 3’s he’s not the most elite scorer but that may also have been the role he was in as a college player on a team with a better college player on it. In the Lakers seemingly never-ending quest to find a decent three and D player we have landed on a project that could become just that in D’Moi. At 24 he’ll need to put it all together quicker than a lot of rookies if he wants to stick in the NBA.
5. Alex Fudge. Another major project player who came out as a sophomore but probably, for the sake of his career, might have benefitted more from another year of college. Regardless the young man is going for it and the Lakers are giving him a shot with an exhibit-10 contract. At 6’8″ and weighing 194 lbs, Alex made his mark on defense and rebounding, two areas the Lakers are pretty good at developing young guys into a serviceable NBA role player. Not much of a scorer he feels like a more un-polished version of Jarred Vanderbilt.

So welcome to all the new Lakers. None of them really strike me as “instant-impact” players but the Lakers need to continue to blend youth and experience as we begin to transition from the LeBron era to…whatever comes next. We have a pretty solid of polishing rough projects so here’s hoping that success continues. Speaking of LeBron, the news that he is “frustrated” with AD is all seemingly based off a Colin Cowherd podcast…from February. Also, based on their high five routine, everything looks fine. Still, I’ve long been of the opinion the Lakers should at least get feelers on what an AD trade could bring back. So, since it’s the NBA and “anything is possible” we’ll just have to see if anything comes of it but I kinda doubt it will.

While the NBA Finals play out (congrats to Miami on avoiding the sweep, still got Denver in 6) the rest of the NBA has already turned it’s attention to the next campaign. Whether that be adjusting the roster, over-hauling a team, or rebuilding a coaching staff every franchise has a laundry list of questions that need answering and holes that need plugging. For the most popular sports franchise in hoops (and maybe all sport) that is true, as well. It’s hard to build a winner and even harder to build (or rebuild) a dynasty). Simply put the offseason game the NBA goes through can be wicked hard.

1. The biggest offseason question is whether the Lakers should continue to build around AD and LeBron? While I have supported the idea of at least seeing what the return could be for a Davis trade there’s simply no way the Lakers will trade LeBron James (sorry Kyrie). Frankly, given his injuries and drop off from three, a return from Davis would likely be underwhelming. So stay the course and damn the torpedoes, FULL SPEED AHEAD!!! Now, with that being said, the shape of how we do that can be seen through a variety of facets. One thing that I believe has to be factored in is the continuing decline of LeBron James. That’s not to say he can’t put up a solid stat line, just the manner in which that happens is going to change more and more. What used to be elite efficiency will take a hit due to more jumpers being shot and fewer forays to the rim, especially in the regular season. Whether or not any of us believes LBJ still is an elite player is kind of besides the point now. He’ll be paid like one, will not perform like one (especially during the regular season) and the end is much closer than maybe some folks want it to be. For my part I’m kind of over the whole “behind the scenes machinations that seem to follow LeBron but I also know the Lakers will do all they can to make sure he retires in that purple and gold jersey so a Laker is sitting atop the “Most Points Scored All Time” record. When it comes to AD the refrain is” if he could just…” and then a variety of things can follow. Stay healthy, play like a true big man, make a delicious alfredo sauce. I think the Lakers and AD are sort of bound on the path forward together. Health and small decline in certain skills means you won’t get back what you paid and toss in that there aren’t a ton of available multi-tool big men out there likely to be available to us and you can start to see why the Lakers and AD are stuck in this marriage of convenience. I have now fully come back to the “AD needs to play the 4 if only in name” position. I think playing the 5, while it is certainly his best position when it comes to offensive rebounding and scoring in the paint where he’s elite, makes him more susceptible to fatigue injuries and bulking up in order to do so has robbed him of what was (for a big man) an elite first-step and jump shot. I could be wrong on all of that, maybe AD has simply regressed, but it’s hard to not look at the added weight (220 coming into the league, 253 last season and spoke openly about adding weight the last 2 seasons which have been injury-filled) and not start to think that 235-240 is more where he should top out. Again, I could be horribly wrong and less weight means nothing (we’re not talking a Zion-like issue, or at least I don’t think we are) but if AD and the Lakers are going to be together for the long haul it may behoove all parties to look at the issue of longevity and endurance from all possible angles.
2. The point guard question. Everyone wants to take the ball out of LeBron’s hands. Even LeBron. Until he’s playing and then he has the ball in his hands. Better point guards than D’Angelo Russell have tried to co-exist with The King controlling the rock and they either flounder (Russ) or play second-fiddle and bail (KI). One reason I can see this working better as-is going forward is I have always believed that D-Lo was nothing close to a true point guard. I’ve always, and still, think of him as combo guard. He plays just as well off ball as on (maybe better depending on the defense) and he lacks the speed to truly break a defense down or collapse it in the paint. That works because what LeBron really doesn’t want to do is lead the fast break. If he can jog/semi-sprint on a leak out and finish, swell. If he can be the trailer and find his way to the rim for an easy dunk? Dope. I don’t think he’s too keen on grabbing the rebound and pushing it 70+ feet to create an easy bucket for a teammate, not like he used to be able to do. That being said the true need for the Lakers are multiple players who can rebound and lead a break and, incredibly, we already have grip of those players: Davis, Reaves, James, Vanderbilt, and Russell are all capable of leading the charge and making a great play in transition. LeBron will be the de facto PG in the half court, make no mistake. So toss out the ordinary needs of other teams, we need multiple combo players who can rebound and push. To that I have the Lakers letting Russell walk now and using that money in other areas. I have LeBron starting at the PG flanked by Reaves, Hachimura, Vanderbilt and Davis (with Vanderbilt playing the true role of the five) at least on the roster as-is. We’ll need to re-sign the cheaper (but comparable talent-wise) Dennis Schroder.
3. Keep Malik Beasley and maybe even Mo Bamba. Value now? Low. Value at next season’s trade deadline? Much higher simply because, in the case of Malik, it’ll be $16.5 million in expiring salary and there will be a few teams (especially next season) who will want to get out from under long-term salary. For all his struggles there will be reason enough based simply on his overall numbers to take a flier on Beasley and potentially letting him walk and that applies to us, as well. The market for an elite shooter starts at $10 mil and caps out around $20 mil, Malik is right in that range. With a summer of cohesion, camp so he knows his role, and the coaches getting better acquainted with how out use him the Lakers should probably refrain from trading Malik unless it’s for a bonafide improvement. Mo Bamba is in the same boat but with an caveat: since his deal isn’t guaranteed the Lakers can either cut him and save $10 mil now, in camp, or a declining sum of that deal as the season goes on until January 7th when all contracts become guaranteed. That means, should we trade him, the best time could be when there’s about half his deal left un-guaranteed which represents a $5 million chunk of change that could be vaporized from a team’s cap space. No need to send a player back, just a TPE the Lakers can do with as they will (TPE’s count against the cap until they expire or are traded). My guess is we keep Malik and cut Mo simply to keep the cap manageable.
4. R&R. Reaves and Rui. Depending on many factors, one of R&R could be priced off the Lakers. While I doubt anyone dumps a massive deal on Rui’s doorstep day one his $18 million cap hold will be a small issue until he signs a contract. If i were Rob I’d just sit back, sign both player’s QO’s and tell them we intend to match and let the market dictate the price to retain their services. Hard to see that going south the way it did with Ayton in Phoenix who played an entire season expecting a max offer that only came after they matched Indy’s offer. I suppose, in Rui’s case, you could make an initial offer but I believe he’ll still test free agency for a while. What happens with these two will shape a lot of our secondary moves as they are the two best players up for a new deal and the price tag to keep both may fuel a decision on guys like Schroder, D-Lo, Malik and Mo. I believe , like LakerTom and I’m sure many other fans here and abroad, that the Lakers will never go over that second tax apron. Not just because of the penalties associated with such an action but also because pf the Laker front office overarching philosophies on the subject of luxury taxes (as in they don’t want to pay them. Ever). I’m pretty sure the max offer Reaves can command is a total of $98 mil: “Whereas the Lakers are capped at giving Reaves a four-year contract worth $50-plus million outright, another team can go as high as $98.7 million. The max offer could include relatively modest salaries of $11.4 and $11.9 million in the first two years, but starting in Year 3 the payout would soar to $36.9 million.” (per Bleacher Report). Rob has said he’ll match up to 100 mil, which is basically saying he’ll match anything. If so, and we can retain Rui for something sensible, I think the Lakers set themselves up nicely for the rest of free agency.
5. Guys I’d like to see the Lakers make an offer for/trade for. I’d love to see us acquire a bruising center that can allow AD to drop back to the 4 with more regularity. Especially if it means he gets his legs under him better for outside shots. Don’t need a stretch 5 if AD can get back to 33-35% from three. So, in that vein, I would love to see a Beasley for Steven Adams and Xavier Tillman plus filler (or cash) and I’d use 2 second round picks to grease those wheels (or a heavily protected FRP or a pick swap). Adams would be brought in essentially for the playoffs and Tillman would be brought in as a regular season minutes sponge. I really liked what I saw from Tillman in the Grizzlies series and I’d squelch the trade if memphis didn’t use their team option on him and make him an offer. Mongo beat me to it but I could see the lakers making the same offer they would to Dennis to Gabe Vincent who has played great in the playoffs. His career numbers don’t jump off the sheet but he’s been an integral part of their culture and winning mentality. For me that goes as far as shooting percentages or raw stats. Or I could see the Lakers offering Malik and Mo to Atlanta for Clint Capella and Saddiq Bey. Not sure if you could maybe nab a second rounder from the Hawks since we;re the one doing their cap sheet a favor. Anyone think orlando would trade Gary HArris and Bol Bol for Malik? Or if they’d take Malik and cash or Max Christie for Fultz? Me neither but I’d suss it out although the risk factor with Fultz seems really high (contract year baby!). The Lakers should certainly present one of LeBron’s old teammates with a reunion, just not irving. I’d kick the tires on what it would cost to bring Kevin Love to LA to finish his career a few blocks from UCLA. Again, like Adams, you’re basically ramping him up for the stretch run/playoffs and to spell AD for a few minutes every game. Just might be a cheaper option. If the Lakers do go the hard cap I hope we use our BAE on Lonnie Walker, can probably vet minimum Wenyan, again, or not (solid regular season minutes eater). Guys like Naz Reid should be given a call and I’d even see if we could swap Larry nance Jr. for Mo Bamba (but I doubt NOLA takes calls from us anymore…).
   
   At any rate, there are obviously a grip-ton of ways the roster can be tweaked around James, Davis, Vanderbilt, Christie and hopefully Reaves and Hachimura. The rest I can pretty much take or leave as I think there are or will be comparable players to be found on the market. One just has decide what continuity looks like with this squad. I wouldn’t even be taken aback if we just run it back as-is, although LeBron will gripe through his back channels for a couple weeks.

All in all Rob did a solid job turning one big contract and some flotsam into a lot of smaller contracts and different flotsam. How he shapes this will be the true defining moment of all that happened this season. Looking forward to a wacky season and what will surely be one of the craziest trade deadlines in NBA history…in like a year.