The Lakers' Preseason Opens Monday. Is Darvin Ham's Early Starting Lineup the Right One?

How Does Anthony Davis' Injury Impact The Lakers Moving Forward? Will Rob Pelinka Make a Trade?: Monday night in Phoenix, the Lakers were without Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Russell Westbrook. Sure, Patrick Beverley and Wenyen Gabriel were back in the lineup, but that wasn't nearly enough and predictably, the Lakers lost big to the Suns. It was in many ways a scheduled loss, and it seems Darvin Ham might have had his eye on keeping James healty heading into Wednesday's game against Sacramento, and then Friday's very winnable game against the Hornets. Why does all of this matter? Because the Lakers can justify thinking that they're too far behind to make real noise in the West, especially with Davis set to miss a lot of time. But they can also justify thinking that, based on recent results, if they can hang in there long enough while Davis is hurt, the Lakers can play with anyone. So do they make a trade? Do they hold off until the offseason, and try to build then? Wh by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Is Anthony Davis Ready to be the Lakers' Best Player, Even When LeBron Return?: For the last two seasons, pundits, team officials and Lakers players alike have all agreed that the key to the team's success is Anthony Davis. He needs to be their most dominant player on a night in, night out basis. The difference between All Star AD and MVP caliber AD is the thing that can elevate the Lakers more than any other personnel move that's available to them. The last three games for the Lakers, all wins, have shown what that looks like, as Davis has thrashed the competition. But that's without LeBron James in the lineup, and against subpar competition. So what has to happen for this version of Davis to be the one the Lakers see even when James is back? When the schedule toughens up, and teams game play for even more heavily than they already do? Is it James that has to change? He's been the team's leading scorer in fourth quarters every year they've played together, including the 2020 title yea by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

30 min listen

NBA GM Poll Reflects Anthony Davis's Reputation Dropping Around the NBA. (LeBron Still Respected!): Every year, NBA.com produces the GM poll, asking execs around the league all sorts of questions about players, teams, coaches and beyond. In most years, the Lakers and Lakers players are well represented, given their high profile, high expectations, star power and so on. This year, however, when it comes to the Lakers the results are notable mostly because the Lakers are an afterthought. LeBron James pops up in a couple of categories, Darvin Ham in another. The Lakers are expected to finish around 8th in the conference, which makes sense and certainly isn't unfair. Most notable, though, is the near-total absence of Anthony Davis, who doesn't get mentioned among the best defensive players, centers, power forwards, MVP candidates and so on and so on and so on. One place he does pop up? Breakout candidate, a place usually reserved for much younger players. In total, it shows the massive rep by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

How Much Should LeBron James (and Other Important Los Angeles Lakers ) Play During the Preseason?: LeBron James noted Thursday that he won't be playing in the preseason opener on Saturday in San Francisco, but he does plan to play in about half of LA's six games before the real ones start later this month. That's a pretty decent amount of run, but is it enough? What is too much? The Lakers have, in the past, gone extremely conservative with preseason playing time for stars. We remember a couple years back when James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook didn't get any time together in dress rehearsals before the regular season, and the results showed. On the other hand, LeBron is officially the oldest player in the NBA, and there is no diminishing AD's injury history. And the Lakers do have some continuity, which matters. On the other hand, there are still a lot of questions about the rotation that need to be addressed, and more importantly, the Lakers have a very difficult, road-heavy by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

Darvin Ham: The Lakers Have Championship Level Depth... Is He Correct?: The schedule was released on Thursday... but we recorded this before that happened, so all the big post-schedule-drop-hoodoo will come on Monday. In the meantime, Darvin Ham says the Lakers have championship caliber depth. Is he right? And more importantly, what exactly does that mean? The answer, particularly the focus on depth, is an interesting change for the Lakers compared to different points in their history. There certainly have been times where depth was measured in the number and quality of stars, rather than viable rotation players going down seven or eight or nine or ten roster spots. This Lakers team has two bonafide stars. Top 5-10 guys around the league (and better, depending on the day). But they also have Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura -- three high end members of the NBA non-star class. They've got Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt, along with Gabe Vincent,, and some young player by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

31 min listen

Are the Lakers More Likely to Trade Anthony Davis Before Russell Westbrook?: Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka were trending today, and these days that's never a good thing. Fans seem to have been angry about commentary (including from The Athletic's Shams Charania) that the Lakers won't be trading the two first round picks they currently control ('27 and '29) if the team continues to perform as it has. The reasoning - no trade would save the season, and they'd be better off waiting. Is that correct? What kind of option tree are the Lakers even looking at right now? With LeBron banged up and a subpar supporting cast? Which leads to an interesting hypothetical - is it possible Anthony Davis is the one who gets moved this year? Before Russell Westbrook? Could it be both? What would an A.D. trade look like? Would it be for a star? For depth pieces? Picks and maybe a young good-but-not-star player? And what kind of return would Davis even fetch right now? And has Westbrook's value changed, given by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Part 2: More Reasons for Optimism with the Lakers in 2022-23: Monday's episode was all about reasons to feel optimistic that this year's Lakers could pay off ESPN predictions to become Team Turnaround, rather than those picking them to be this season's Team Turmoil. Subtle indications the shooting could be a little better than believed, for example. Today, more reasons to feel positive! Because we're all about the vibes this week. For starters, go to the centers. The Lakers had arguably the worst, most unplayable pair of C's the league has seen in a while, ping-ponging from DeAndre Jordan to Dwight Howard when Anthony Davis was either unavailable or playing power forward. With Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones, the Lakers recover a lot of the qualities they've worked effectively whether with JaVale McGee/Howard in 2020, or what was supposed to be working with Marc Gasol and Montrezz Harrell two seasons ago. Spacing, vertical threats, athleticism, and so on. Then there's coaching. His faul by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

39 min listen

Lakers vs. Nuggets: A Rivalry Brewing? Plus, Bold Predictions for the 2023-2024 NBA Season: The Lakers kick off the 2023-24 NBA season tonight in Denver, and nobody on either side wants to make it a big thing, or add significance to the game, or talk about bad blood or certainly not to call it a rivalry. Which, as it turns out, is the best sign it's a rivalry. And after all, the Nuggets -- especially head coach Mike Malone -- spent plenty of time talking about the Lakers in the wake of their title run. The Lakers had knocked them out a couple years earlier, too. And while they tried not to make a thing of it, the Lakers (from Austin Reaves to Darvin Ham) have had some stuff to say about the stuff that was said. In short, yeah, it's a game that means something a little more for both teams. WHICH IS AWESOME! The Lakers have been woefully short on fun rivalries over the last few years, whether because of down seasons or up seasons that came in the midst of pandemics and thin-to-non-existe by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

34 min listen

The Lakers are Chasing the Kings in the West. How Legit Is Sacramento? Guest: Matt George!: The Lakers, definitely without Anthony Davis and possibly without Austin Reaves and Russell Westbrook, face a Sacramento squad Wednesday that might be without star center Domantas Sabonis and veteran forward Harrison Barnes. So maybe the Lakers catch a break, maybe they don't, but either way the game represents the changing nature of the Western Conference, where upstarts like Sacramento, New Orleans and Utah are making unexpected noise early. So what should Lakers fans make of the newly competent Kings? Is this a group with staying power? Assuming they have a full lineup, how will they attack the Davis-less Lakers? Joining us to break it all down is Matt George, host of Locked On Kings. We start with the team. What accounts for the turnaround? There are a few factors, but it chief among them is the play of Sabonis, who is the focal point on both ends and has been posting cartoonish numbers, par by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

36 min listen

Lakers Lose Preseason Opener by 30, but Big Three Meshed! Plus, New Westbrook/Pacers Details!: On Monday's show, it was noted that context is a big thing when evaluating preseason scores. That's definitely the case for Monday's 105-75 loss to Sacramento in the Lakers' preseason opener. 30 points is a blowout, but for the parts of the game where LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook played, the Lakers looked significantly better than that score. Davis, for example, went for 11 points and 11 rebounds in his 16 minutes, even hitting a pair of 3's! Westbrook had a couple good shots at the rim, and played with aggression. The team looked bouncier, and showed considerably more investment in the preseason compared to last year. (Low bar to clear.) Defensively, the Important Lakers were engaged and efforting, holding Sacramento well under 40% shooting in the first half. Some of that was bad offense from the Kings, but not all of it. No question, the Lakers looked rusty at times. Th by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

34 min listen

Without LeBron, Davis or Reaves, the Lakers, led by D'Angelo Russell, Get Preseason Win Over Kings.: Normally, when Anthony Davis and LeBron James don't play in a preseason game, it's easy to shrug your shoulders and basically ignore anything that happens over 48 minutes of ball. When those guys are missing, plus Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt, the temptation is to completely discount the game. But for the Lakers, who are surely expecting James and Davis to miss a relevant chunk of games (some of which might come at the same time) it's actually really important to get a feel for how competitive they can be while those guys are on the sidelines. The hope was with improved depth and more firepower, the Lakers would be better suited to withstand those non-star games than they were last year. And if Wednesday's win over the Kings in Anaheim was any indication, the plan seems to have worked. D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura all cracked double figures in by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

31 min listen

Can the Lakers Make a Trade to Help LeBron? And what's LeBron's Trade Value, if he Requests One?: Reports currently forecast Anthony Davis will be sidelined through mid-January... at the earliest. So maybe that's the next 10 or so games, maybe 15, if we're all being reasonably optimistic, based on current information. Where will the Lakers be when he returns? How much time would they have to integrate new parts, even if the team actually made a deal? Does the record even matter, or has the braintrust already made up its mind, short of some sort of miracle development on the trade market? And now that LeBron James has made it abundantly clear he wants/expects to play meaningful basketball games, the kind occurring in playoff series, in his final seasons, how does that factor in? Do the Lakers need to consider LeBron's comments as February's trade deadline approaches? Is there even a meaningful deal out there to make? Are the Lakers more frightened of making a deal or standing pat? How m by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

Can the Lakers Get Value in a Russell Westbrook Deal? (Guest: Jovan Buha, Part II): In Part I of our conversation with Jovan Buha of The Athletic, we covered the LeBron James and Anthony Davis core, how viable it is, and what the Lakers might do to improve the supporting cast around them this summer. Central to that is the future of Russell Westbrook. Part II starts there. First and foremost, Jovan doesn't think the Lakers can bring Westbrook back, at least in a basketball playing capacity. If he's on the roster, the Lakers pay him to stay away. So that leaves a trade. What is realistic? Could the Lakers get Indiana to trade Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield to LA? Would that cost them both of their available first round picks? Would that be worth it? What about the head coach? Whatever identity the team forges moving forward will come, at least in part, from the influence of the guy on the sidelines. Could the Lakers land a big fish like Nick Nurse? What about Quin Snyder or Doc Rivers by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

31 min listen

What is a Realistic Timeline for LeBron James to Return? Plus, the Lakers Retire Pau Gasol's #16!: Of late, The Athletic's Shams Charania hasn't exactly been the bearer of good news for Lakers fans. And Monday, talking with FanDuelTV, wasn't much different. Charania noted that while the Lakers are going to re-evaluate LeBron James after three weeks, there is certainly some belief that the actual length of LeBron's absence could extend past that mark. Well past it, potentially, calling into serious question just how much regular season action James might get before a (hypothetical) play-in matchup. Or whether the Lakers can hang on long enough to even make those last few games meaningful. And what exactly will be the considerations the Lakers and LeBron make when deciding whether LeBron can/should return to action? It's all very speculative and super-unpleasant for the Lakers, and puts that much more pressure on Anthony Davis to elevate the team, D'Angelo Russell to get back on the floo by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

36 min listen

Should a Rising Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Season Change How the Lakers Approach 2022-23?: For much of the summer, the Lakers have been looking at the choice of making trades to resurrect (or try to at least) this season, with the idea that cap space to rebuild after the year would be available, but not necessarily large enough to be truly impactful. That changed last week when the NBA announced that the new projections for the 2023-24 season could see an $10-11 million jump, leaving the Lakers with (potentially) $30, maybe even $40 million to work with. Granted, they've have very, very few players on the roster were they to max it out (perhaps just LeBron James and Anthony Davis) and A LOT of holes to fill, but that amount of space could buy one or two good players for sure, or let the Lakers acquire players via trade into that cap space, and they'd still be able to trade the first round pics they've held on to. So is that a better path forward than the presumptive Utah or Indiana dea by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

The Lakers Lose the Season Opener to Golden State, In Ways Feeling Unsettlingly Familiar: Last season, the Lakers often lost thanks to defensive breakdowns, turnovers, bad outside shooting, a lack of support from the role guys and horrible third quarters. Wednesday in the season opener against Golden State at Chase, they lost thanks to defensive breakdowns, bad outside shooting, a lack of support from the role guys and a horrible third quarter. It was, to say the least, not a game that left Lakers fans feeling great about where this team can go. To be fair, it was a strange and challenging night. The long delay to tipoff thanks to the ring ceremony had both teams playing in mud early. Golden State is, as the ring ceremony might suggest, really freaking good. They have continuity and depth that might even eclipse last year's group. They're dominant in that building. So no shame in losing... it just didn't feel very good. So what was good? LeBron James, Anthony Davis and even Russell Wes by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

How Will Darvin Ham Sort Out the Lakers' Rotation? More Moves Coming for Rob Pelinka?: The Lakers have, to say the least, a complex set of questions facing them this season. They include health, personality and now, a wonky configuration super heavy on guards and very light on wings. Wednesday, Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka will meet the media in the traditional pre-training camp press conference, and will likely get lots of questions about all of this stuff. How they respond will provide some early clues on what's in store for the Lakers this year. Are they going to try to find ways to get everyone on the floor, or are some players who would expect to play going to be disappointed? What about all those, um, vibrant personalities? Are there more moves coming? How does Pelinka view the current roster? A work in progress (slow as it may be) or something close to the final version? Certainly this year's team has the opportunity to be better, if players can stay healthy, but is there somethin by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Optimism Around Anthony Davis's Return? And How Much Help Do A.D. and LeBron James Really Need?: After a genuinely horrendous 2-10 start to the season, the Lakers have managed to play winning basketball more than not. Now 17-21, they've moved themselves back into spitting distance of the magic 10 seed in the Western Conference. Not exactly the goal, but the bare minimum of what's required to have a shot at the postseason. So with decent news coming out of El Segundo regarding Anthony Davis—his recovery seems to be going as well as anyone could expect, with no discernible setbacks—and LeBron James playing like a 28-year old, not a 38-year old, there is a renewed focus on the supporting cast. Wednesday's win over Miami was, definitionally, all supporting cast. No A.D., no James. All that's left are the other guys, and between 32 points from Dennis Schroder, generally solid play from Russell Westbrook, another good game from Thomas Bryant and continuing contributions from Austin Reaves, t by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

33 min listen

Anthony Davis Dominates vs. Golden State, and Rob Pelinka Gets a Contract Extension: What a busy weekend! The Lakers broke a 9-game preseason losing streak, and while wins and losses don't necessarily matter in these games, Sunday's win over Golden State had some significant developments. First, Anthony Davis was dominant. 28 points in 21 minutes, with every facet of the game on display. Hit some threes, hit some mid-range, dominated in the paint, got to the line. And he showed some swagger. It was the type of performance the Lakers are going to need - a lot - through the season if they want to exceed expectations. Plus, Kendrick Nunn played great, Lonnie Walker IV shot the ball well and generally speaking the Lakers looked good when important players were on the floor. Meanwhile, though, the Lakers didn't play LeBron James, Russell Westbrook or Patrick Beverley, and are running out of time to develop the type of continuity in a still-complex rotation they'll need. Darvin Ham says it's by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

35 min listen

Darvin Ham Says the Lakers Have a Championship Caliber Roster. Is He Right?: Not that you'd expect otherwise, but Darvin Ham was talking up the Lakers roster earlier this week with Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune. Ham says the Lakers absolutely have a roster capable of winning an NBA championship. Not that he was saying the Lakers should be prohibitive favorites or anything, but that they've got the pieces to get it done. So is he right? Or is this just a coach delivering the normal platitudes you get in July? It's hard to argue with his premise. The Lakers, after all, are coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance, and even if you don't think they radically improved this offseason, they certainly didn't get any worse. (And realistically, while the improvement wasn't massive - that sort of transformative thing wasn't really available to them - they enter the season with a more balanced roster than last season and the opportunity to build with continuity. That continuity thin by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

30 min listen

Darvin Ham Says Russell Westbrook Will Start, Anthony Davis Is the Key, and Much, Much More: Darvin Ham is bringing a much different energy to El Segundo this season, and anyone who wants a good understanding of what it means should read the Q/A done by ESPN's Marc Spears. In it, Ham talks about his upbringing, the grind required to make the league, and then to stay there. And then to put himself on the path to being an NBA head coach, which required a long stint in the G-League. He talks about Russell Westbrook, and his expectations for him this season, which include starting (which will, surely, disappoint Lakers fans hoping to see Westbrook come off the bench). Ham talked about Anthony Davis as the key to making the Lakers go, and that the team will support him in every way possible to make it happen. And he talked about the experience he had working with Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer, calling the work he does the gold standard around the league. Put it all together, and his by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

35 min listen

Have the Lakers Closed the Door on Myles Turner and Buddy Hield? Plus... More on LeBron and BaldGate!: Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Indiana Pacers expect to open the season with Myles Turner as their starting center. Which means, definitionally, that he will not be acquired before then by the Lakers with Buddy Hield in exchange for Russell Westbrook and two first round picks. Nor is it expected that the Lakers will trade for anyone on the Utah Jazz as they look to rebuild after trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. So what are they going to do? Does Rob Pelinka just plan on punting the season? Does passing up an opportunity now mean the Lakers won't have a better one later? Are any of the options available to them today better than what might be behind doors as the season proceeds? Could Turner and Hield be an option closer to the deadline? Are any of these trade options better than simply waiting, holding the picks and combining that with some cap sp by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

30 min listen

LeBron, Reaves, Nunn Shine In Preseason Loss. And are the Lakers now "Team Normal?": In keeping with the theme of the Lakers' preseason so far, the Lakers remain winless, this time 119-115 against the Phoenix Suns, but it was another game where the players who mattered... and played... provided fans with increasing optimism about what may lie ahead when the real contests begin. Anthony Davis was a last minute scratch with lower back tightness, but LeBron James had a dominant first half of 23 points (8-11 FG) and great activity on both sides of the ball. Kendrick Nunn pitched in 21 points off the bench in just 19 minutes, and Austin Reaves was quite the stat-stuffer, leading the team with nine assists to go along with six points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Even Russell Westbrook, whose 12 points were the result of diminishing efficiency, had a strong first quarter. But of course, AD sitting out with any injury, even one framed as minor, will make fans squeamish. Does t by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

37 min listen

The "Russell Westbrook Experience" - How It Impacts LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers: So 11 games in, Lakers fans (and Lakers coaches, Lakers players and Lakers management) are learning a lot about what it means to be a team featuring Russell Westbrook. The extremes are striking, particularly now while he's not playing particularly well in the aggregate. Is it something people were totally prepared for? How is it impacting the way the Lakers play? And perhaps most importantly, when it's all said and done, how does Westbrook's presence impact the effectiveness of LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a pairing? Because for the last two seasons, there has been an assumption that the combination of Davis and James, if healthy and playing at their top level, automatically makes the Lakers strong title contenders, almost independent of what surrounds them. Given LeBron's new struggles with health, is that still true? And critically, does the addition of Westbrook enhance that partner by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

36 min listen

More Anthony Davis at Power Forward for the Lakers this Season? Plus, In-Season Tournament Details!: The young Lakers players on their Summer League team continue to look good, winning two more games over the weekend. But while there's plenty to talk about with Jalen Hood-Schifino, Colin Castleton, Max Lewis, Max Christie and more, it was stuff Rob Pelinka was saying to the media that got a lot of attention. He noted in a couple of interviews that he had talked to Anthony Davis once again about his position on the floor, and that the Lakers would like to repeat some of the success from 2020, when A.D. played most of his minutes with another big next to him. Does that mean the Lakers plan to start Davis with another big? Jaxson Hayes, or whoever they look for with the 14th roster spot? (Pelinka confirmed they'd like to find another big.) Would that be a bench configuration the Lakers deploy from time to time, when the matchups are right? Where Davis plays, at power forward or center, ha by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

34 min listen

Week 2 Lookahead I Fantasy Basketball by BUCKETS

32 min listen

Can LeBron and Anthony Davis be the Best Duo in the Western Conference? (Guest: Mo Dakhil, Part 2!): LeBron James and Anthony Davis have the potential to be a formidable duo, despite last year's disaster. That is, of course, if both stay healthy and especially if Davis is an All Star (which is good... but not good enough) or an All-NBA caliber player. Someone in the MVP conversation. That's what the Lakers need, of course, to have a chance. Can all that stuff happen? That's one question asked to The Athletic and Bleacher Report's Mo Dakhil in Part 2 of his appearance. In a conference filled with stars, where does LA's Big 2 stand? From there, it's a look at how the hell the Lakers find themselves in this position, anyway. How did the team go from winning a title in 2020 to missing the playoffs in 2022 and being a massive, massive question mark for the 2023 postseason. What is it about their approach/work that has led everyone here? And what about the rest of the supporting cast? Even i by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

38 min listen

ESPN Ranks the NBA's Top 100 Players: How Many Lakers Made it? Plus, D'Lo Vows Better Defense.: Every year, ESPN's hoops department ranks the top 100 players in the NBA. Every year, it causes a little bit of controversy, because people tend to get really worked up about rankings and lists. But while they're certainly arguable and definitely easy to overrate (does it really matter if someone is the 7th best player or the 9th, the 58th or the 62nd?) lists like these can be instructive. Particularly in trying to figure out roster depth around the league, and how different teams compare to each other. So how do the Lakers stack up? Well, they're the only team with two players in the top 10 - Anthony Davis (10) and LeBron James (9). Austin Reaves comes in at 66. And that's it. Many teams have more guys in the top 100 (Denver has four, the Knicks, surprisingly, have five). But when you start to peel back more layers, it's pretty clear the Lakers have a high end roster with a ton of depth. Ho by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

31 min listen

Lakers Lose to Kings in OT, Darvin Ham to Tighten Rotation. Plus, Austin Reaves Is Struggling.: In context, 1-2 is neither bad nor surprising for the Lakers three games in. They opened on the road against the Nuggets, the defending champs and current consensus "best team in the league." They won at home against Phoenix (albeit in less-than-dominant fashion), and then Sunday lost in OT to Sacramento, who return basically intact a team that was the 3-seed last season. But Sunday's 132-127 loss is nonetheless a disappointment, because the Lakers had a chance to win, and instead let it get away. And given how competitive the conference is likely to be this season, any truly winnable game (the Lakers had 4th quarter leads) that turns into a loss will feel like a missed opportunity. Especially winnable games against conference rivals. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both excellent Sunday night. LeBron again blew through his target minutes window en route to 27 points on an efficient 11-1 by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

32 min listen

The Lakers Have Won Five of Six, Face (and Scout?) Myles Turner, Buddy Hield Monday Night: The Lakers were once 2-10. Today, after winning five of six, they'll enter Monday's game against Indiana (one of only six home games between now and early January) with a 7-11 record. Still not good, but trending in the right direction. And most of that progress has happened without a full roster available to them. So now that Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both expected to play against the Pacers, can the Lakers continue their momentum? How much of that upturn was legitimate, anyway, and not a product of a (finally) softening schedule? We'll all find out soon enough, but at the least, the Lakers were due to some positive move to the mean. They weren't, for example, going to shoot 20 percent from 3-point range all year. Over their last 10? About 35 percent. Not great, but not catastrophically damaging to the offense, either. The Lakers were always better than a team paced to win 12 games all by Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

30 min listen

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The Lakers' Preseason Opens Monday. Is Darvin Ham's Early Starting Lineup the Right One?

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