NUGGETS -vs- LAKERS – 9-30-18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:29 pm    Post subject: NUGGETS -vs- LAKERS – 9-30-18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

LABron…The LeBron Era Begins… Basketball is back in L.A. And by back, I’m not just talking about the first game of preseason, but basketball with something actually on the line. Real basketball. The goal this season is the playoffs. You sign LeBron, you are playing for higher stakes.

After the initial shockwaves settled around the NBA, tonight we finally got to see a glimpse of LBJ in an actual game in a Laker uniform. His first points as a Laker came off a 30-foot three. But he had a no-look pass prior to that to Ingram for a dunk that was definitely special.

As a whole, the team suffered from collective experience. Denver has continuity and the Lakers rarely made them uncomfortable out there. There were moments in each half, but the Lakers struggled with fouls. And the foul-prone ball slowed the game down from the turbo-powered fastbreak team they want to be.

“Some of the lineups on the floor, we haven’t even practiced,” LeBron said. The Lakers fell apart at the end of the third and start of the fourth with their second units. They lost 124-107.

It’s preseason. First games are always ugly, especially with the roster reconstruction we underwent. But, hey, we got LeBron! Seeing him in the purple and gold for the first time was the real story tonight, even if he barely broke a sweat.


LeBron -- -- Yep, it’s surreal typing LeBron into this report. Among the things LeBron led the league in last season was minutes played. The Lakers want to limit that if they can and certainly preseason games are one area where they can cut things short. The Lakers ran him just 15 minutes tonight, playing him just in the first half. Luke said he wanted to get back in the second quarter, so he brought him back. You can see some of the quick decision making from him offensively (the highlight in that area might be a quick-fire bounce pass to Ingram under the hoop for a dunk). He wasn’t super aggressive tonight and didn’t dominate the ball with Rondo out there. His first points in a Laker uniform were off a 30-foot three when Rondo kicked an offensive board back to him. The pace in the first half was horrible with all the FT shooting. He wasn’t out there when we started to get a rolling a bit in the second half. “It’s going to be tough to win a game like that,” Luke said of the fouls. He and Ingram had a little chemistry going. LeBron said he gets a good rhythm with anyone who has a lot of energy and movement out there. “It always feels different for me anytime you change uniforms,” LeBron said. He said the team went through only one or two of their defensive coverages and said the same was true of the offensive end. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-6 shooting (2-2 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He missed a turnaround fade from the post on his first touch. Sweet no-look bounce pass to Ingram from the perimeter for the dunk. He sank a 30-foot three on a pitch back from Rondo. He attacked, hung and missed the layup. He hit Ingram on the curl for the short turnaround. He missed a baseline turnaround in the post. Nice board and outlet to Hart for FTs. Hesi in transition to draw FTs, he made one. He attacked in early offense and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He stepped back and swished a wing three on Jokic. He stepped on the baseline on a drive, turnover. He missed a tough jumper on iso when the paint got clogged by a couple Laker cutters. He had 9 points on 2-6 shooting (2-2 from three) and 3 assists. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Ingram -- -- Really nice game from Brandon. With this starting lineup, you’ve probably got to have floor spacing from BI. With Lonzo starting instead of Rondo, you’ve still got to have floor spacing from him. But he’s also capable of moving off ball and doing other things to be effective out there without hitting a three and he showed that tonight. In the first half, he was able to get out in transition and cause problems. He was cutting off ball in the half court, even if we didn’t quite know what we wanted to do. (LeBron found him on one sequence with a no-looker for a dunk.) Some of the cuts may have crowded the paint for LeBron, but I wouldn’t read anything into that right now. Guys are playing on instinct. We played him at point when Rondo sat in the first half, but there wasn’t a lot of ball handling in that. With Stephenson out there, we need to rely on him a little less. Defensively, like Kuz, we want to see BI take it to another level. That combination of agility and length can cause a lot of problems when used intelligently. “We’ve been encouraging him to get more active in the passing lanes,” Luke said. He had a steal using that length on one of those plays this game and turned that into a score the other way. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-14 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He took an interior feed, spun and scored a layup. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He dunked off the bounce pass from LeBron as we swung the ball weak top strong. He curled into the paint, took the feed and hit the turnaround. He used his length in a passing lane to flag down a ball, pushed it out and scored off two long strides and switching hands to score with his left at the rim. He attacked the paint and kicked to Beasley for the three. He grabbed an offensive board, pumped and scored the putback. He missed an elbow pull-up in transition. Bad pull-up wing jumper in iso and he missed (no ball movement). He couldn’t finish a layup in a crowd. He dunked off the drive and dish from Rondo. He was fouled on a defensive board, he made one. Second Half: He cut and Rondo found him for the layup around the D (he got poked in the eye with no call). He hit McGee off the two-man game for a dunk. He rejected Gomez at the rim, then off the scramble ended up drawing a charge to get the stop. He missed a three wide left. He was fouled taking a perimeter pass, he made one FT. He threw a pass away trying to quickly advance the ball. Wild off-balance runner getting caught in the air. He attacked a crowd and turned it over. He was blocked by the rim on a layup with no one challenging.

Rondo -- -- Felt like he was a kid in a candy store with all the choices he could make around him. He was quickly racking up the assist numbers and finished with 11 in 23 minutes. You can see the speed with which he and LeBron make decisions out there is a lot quicker than the rest of the team. If Lonzo shows respectable shooting this season, it would be interesting seeing a Rondo, Lonzo, LBJ trio out there. They think the game at a much faster level than everyone else. That speed will pick up further once they get reps under their belt. On the bench, they had shots of Rondo watching film during the game on a tablet. His attention to detail will help this team get on the same page much faster. Defensively, that may be where Lonzo makes it obvious he needs to be the starter. Rondo can be decent, but his best days on that end are behind him. Magic hyped up how strong Lonzo has looked the past couple of days in practice. Can’t wait to see him. That depth at PG having both in the rotation should help a lot. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 11 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: Quick-fire lob pass to McGee off the jumpball for the dunk. He attacked the paint, ball faked and fed BI for the layup. He fumbled a dribble away. Pitch back to LeBron off an offensive board for a three. He pumped a couple of times and hit the wing jumper. He kicked out to Kuzma for a corner three on a set play out of a timeout. He took a pass from LBJ in transition and hit McGee for the dunk. He attacked and bounced to Ingram on the baseline for a dunk. He missed a wing three when the D went under the screen. Off the mark on the lob to McGee (timing seemed off, he was wide open). He had 6 assists at the half. Second Half: He lobbed to McGee again to start the second half, this time off the weave. He missed a bank with his right, got it back and hit Ingram for a layup. Turnover with a flat pass on the perimeter, dunk the other way. He anticipated well and took a charge on the perimeter. He zipped a pass across court in transition to Kuzma who scored a layup. He worked the two-man game to hit Zubac for a layup off a nice spin move.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Sometimes he’s a barometer for how well the offense is running. He looked extremely uncomfortable to start the game. You didn’t know he was there for a while, then he forced it a little after. He finished with the 0-5 donut from the floor. Last year, he started off the season with some poor decision making on his shot selection. We know what he can do once he gets comfortable and rolling. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-5 shooting (0-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He missed a wing three. Way off on a wing three in transition. He knocked down a couple of FTs. He missed an open corner three in transition. He missed a pull-up in the paint. Second Half: Note close on a three behind a screen. He hit McGee on the roll for a layup.

McGee -- -- Your leading scorer tonight. “You get playmakers and passers like we have, they’re looking for him when he gets down there,” Luke said. He started the game with a lob throwdown off the jumpball and kept it rolling all night to finish with 17 points in 20 minutes. While we had a guy who played above the rim last year in Nance, he wasn’t as big a threat off the screen-roll and isn’t as long as McGee. He had 9 points on 4-5 shooting in the first half and carried that over to the second half. In that third quarter, he helped them even things up with the Nuggets as we got off to an 11-0 run with some of his energy and finishing. Not a lot clicking tonight for the Laker, but this certainly was. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 8-10 shooting (1-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He tipped the jumpball to LeBron, who tapped it to Rondo, who lobbed back to McGee from about 40 feet out for the dunk. He missed a jumphook on iso. He dunked off the drive and lob from Kuzma. He swished the teardrop in the middle of the paint when LeBron found him. He dunked off the bang-bang passing sequence between LBJ and Rondo in transition. Good recovery to bother a dunk attempt after we lost a man. He then drew a foul on an offensive board hustling in transition on the other end, he made one FT. Second Half: He gathered a lob pass from Rondo off the weave play and dunked. He hustled in transition next time down and Kuz found him for the And-1 dunk, way short on the FT miss. He scored a layup over a defender to force a timeout. He threw a pass away in transition trying to avoid a travel on an outlet (no one else was down court with him). He took a feed in a crowd off the two-man game, the D left him so he dunked. He missed a short one in the paint, but hustled to keep it alive.

Kuzma -- -- A lot of talk this offseason and prior to training camp about Kuzma putting in the work, doing three-a-days, and working to elevate his game. He paid special attention to the defensive end, getting stronger and watching film. This game was sloppy with little rhythm for the team. He excelled in transition sequences (getting fouled, hitting a three). I’ll give him a pass on some of the poor iso sequences because our lack of offensive cohesion in this one. Defensively, not much showing in this game other than a nice block on a guard on. Having him guard C’s is going to be tough. We probably need to see better progress on the PFs and SFs, first. But we’ll see. He sank a corner three off a kickout from Rondo off a set play out of a timeout. Once our offense gets a little more flow to it and we’re running more plays, he’ll get into doing the simple stuff and thrive. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 4-13 shooting (2-6 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He splashed a corner three on a kickout from Rondo off the set play out of the timeout. He dribbled once to his left after a fly by and missed the three. He fouled Jokic in the post. He attacked off the three line and was blocked. He iso’d in the post and came up short on the turnaround. He traveled on a pull-up in transition with the clock low. He missed a finger roll in transition (picked up the dribble a little early). He rejected a drive on iso. He worked the two-man sequence with McGee and lobbed to him for the dunk. He attacked a crowd and drew FTs, he made both. Another attack in transition and he drew FTs, making both. He had 7 points on 1-5 shooting in the first half. Second Half: He outlet to McGee in transition for the And-1 dunk. He pushed out a rebound and hit the And-1 runner, he made the FT. He missed a wing three off a scramble play. He up-faked, attacked and couldn’t finish. He went inside out on a transition defender and scored a layup. He threw a cross court pass away (should have made the simple kickout to Hart). He swished a deep pull-up three in transition. He thought he was fouled getting knocked down on a missed three attempt. He iso’d and missed a bad three attempt. Wild off balance runner on iso, not close.

Hart -- We saw him expand his game a little during the summer. He was much more confident pulling up and drilling threes in defender’s faces. Much more comfortable attacking off the dribble. He may be one of the keys to our small ball teams. Switching is the key defensively with small ball units. You need mobile bigs, but you need strong guards on the other end of the switch. Unlike Rondo and KCP, Hart can switch onto bigs defensively and hold ground in the post or boxing out. He played a little PF tonight in the third quarter as Luke trusted him enough to try that. Of course, the +/- was a bit painful, but there’s a lot of experimentation going on out there right now. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -23. The Action: He couldn’t finish the And-1 on the outlet from LeBron, he made both FTs. He missed a baseline turnaround. He attacked down the paint and scored a layup. Second Half: He knocked a handoff to PF away and it ignited a breakaway score. He attacked a crowd and missed the off-balance runner. He sank a catch-and-shoot wing three off a kickout. He didn’t hit rim on a wing three.

Beasley -- -- He didn’t return in the second half after getting cut on the head. Overall, he had some decent moments showing how he can space the floor by knocking down a corner three. He also had a nice recovery to block Plumlee as our small ball center. We’ve got a lot of guys who can make things happen when things stall. The key for a lot of our bench is to not stall things by having too many guys trying to make things happen. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-2 shooting (1-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 6 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: He blocked Plumlee from behind under the rim to get a stop. He popped free at the elbow off the set play, attacked instead and drew FTs on Plumlee, he made one. He traveled on iso. He swished an open three off the drive and dish from BI. He missed a tough step-back against Plumlee on iso. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Zubac -- -- The Lakers went light at the C spot this summer, which means Zubac will likely have a steady roll with the team if he brings it. Last summer, he took a step backward. That cloud still followed him a bit into the regular season, but he actually started putting together some better games than most people realize. As the season went along, the defensive presence started to reappear. The offense was generally as good as the guards around him, which was very hit and miss. Same was the case tonight. We did see a brief bit with him and Rondo on the floor and that was Zu’s best moments. If we see Rondo go to the bench when Lonzo returns, look for that Zubac/Rondo chemistry to develop. Stephenson also lets passes fly at high speed so Zu will need to be ready. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 1 turnover and 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He couldn’t hold a pass from KCP, but hustled back for a defensive rebound. He was blocked on a short one in the paint. He couldn’t hold a hot pass from Stephenson (he thought it was deflected). He rolled to the hoop, took the bounce pass from Rondo, spun and scored the lefty layup.

Stephenson -- One of the bigger question marks this offseason was how exactly Lance was going to fit into this squad. Right now, with limited minute for LeBron and others, he’ll get time on the court so we’ll get some glimpses of his strengths and weaknesses. One of the things that seemed to happen with frequency in this game was our small ball lineups would end up with a mismatch of a bigman on Stephenson. He’s iso ability abused that for jumpers or FTs. He and BI essentially were the third string PGs tonight. So with Lonzo out, we saw a bit more action from them in that regard. I wouldn’t read a lot into Stephenson’s team worst -28. Just a lot of weird combo’s out there. He was probably a bit of a bright spot among them even if he did have a defensive breakdown or two. He sank his only three in this game, coming off a screen to take a pass. I’m curious to see how his stroke looks as he’s put some work in this offseason. It looked strong tonight. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting (1-1 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 21 minutes. He was a -28. The Action: He iso’d on Jokic and hit the wing jumper from midrange. Another iso jumper against Jokic next time down. Lazy inbounds pass and it was stolen for a score the other way. Second Half: He sank a catch-and-shoot three coming off a screen (then didn’t guard someone on the other end to give up a dunk). He iso’d on Plumlee, attacked past him and was fouled under the rim, he made one FT. He iso’d on Gomez and hit the pull-up jumper. He was fouled on a pass off, he made both FTs. Nice hustle after a loose ball that Hart saved, he pushed it up court and hit the trailer, Svi, for a layup. He kicked out to Hart for the three. He missed a wing three over Plumlee. XXX

Mykhailiuk -- -- One of the things I’m especially amped about is how big a splash Svi can make this season. And splash is probably the right word with that shooting of his. His one make from three was definitely wet tonight, but he didn’t shoot them well overall. He needs to get those first NBA games under his belt and get comfortable with the speed of the game. Still, he was able to knock down a couple long-range jumpers and score a layup on the break. Defensively, he had a miscommunication that led to a wide open layup, but got more active as the game went along and got a steal, as well. He finished with 7 points and, hopefully, got those first game jitters out of the way. The playmaking will get better and that will definitely help him get comfortable out there. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -19. The Action: He was blocked on a layup after cutting to the hoop. He missed a wing three taking a handoff on the perimeter. He gave up a layup on a miscommunication on a split play on the perimeter. Second Half: He scored a lefty layup trailing the break off a Hart steal that led to Lance pushing it up. He deflected a perimeter pass to get a stop. He iso’d and swished the step-back wing three. He missed a good look at a wing three on a kickout. He missed a corner three on a kickout. He sank a long pull-up wing jumper in transition. He missed a three trying to score on a mismatch.

Caruso -- -- It’s a long season and we may have either Lonzo or Rondo missing a few games. Last season, that was typically a disaster for the team. Eventually, we settled on a lot of minutes with the ball in Ingram’s hands. This season, we have other guys who can handle and create, which means Alex will likely be deep on the bench for most of the season. He got some garbage time run and was a pest defensively with 3 steals. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 turnover and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He jumped a passing lane and took it for a dunk. XX He stripped a big on the perimeter, then lobbed out of bounds in transition. He swiped a ball, pushed it out na dwas blocked.

Williams -- -- Johnathan started the fourth as our C. He had some moments finishing around the rim with both hands, but we were definitely into summer league/G-league roster combos out there for the most part. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-5 shooting to go with 4 boards, 1 block and 5 fouls in 12 minutes. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a lefty hook across the lane. He hit a lefty hook. He attacked to his right, spun and scored a layup. He grabbed an airball and scored the putback. He hit a floater in the paint off the two-man game. XXX

Wear -- -- We had extended garbage time in the fourth, so Luke brought him in with 7 minutes left. Honestly, with the short preseasons, I’m not sure you can afford to have garbage time. Perhaps, this is the deep bench’s only appearance. We’ll see. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and no fouls. He was a +6. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a step-back 17-footer. He airballed a three on a kickout. He moved in off a fly by and hit the pull-up 18-footer.

Berry II -- -- He came in with over 5 minutes left and ha d a couple of assists. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 2 assists and no fouls in 6 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a long wing jumper, not a good look. He hit Williams on the two-man game for the floater.

Bonga -- Man, I get nervous every time he touches the ball. He came in with over 3 minutes left. Hey, no travels in this one, so that was good. He was a traveling turnover machine in the summer league. Short minutes and he did have a turnover on a bad pass, but he looked a little more comfortable out there in his brief stint and attacked the rim a couple of times. Good to see that, at least. He will be playing at South Bay all season. Should be interesting to watch. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 1 board and 1 turnover in 3 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He threw a pass right to a fronting defender, turnover. He attacked off the three line, got tapped on the layup, got it back and hit the short one-hander. He attacked the closeout and missed the short one in the paint.

Walton -- -- The number one criticism from fans for any coach is why isn’t he playing player X (or conversely why is he playing player X). With the depth Luke has on this team, no doubt we’ll hear that from fans all season long. With the short preseason, Luke’s got his work cut out for him trying to dial in the combinations. “We’re going to try some interesting lineups tonight,” Luke said prior to the game… The team is at a disadvantage against squads that have been together. We just don’t have the collective team IQ developed yet. The Nuggets, for instance, have a good feel for what they want to do on both ends. Half of the Laker roster does not… “As a new team we’re trying to establish our identity,” Luke said prior to the game. What does that identity look like? Luke said, get out and run, share the ball, be physical, communicating… uzma in for Ingram as the first sub, Lakers down 1 after 5 minutes… Stephenson in for KCP… Hart in for McGee at 5:36 left. So Kuz at the C against Jokic (fouled on iso, we doubled the post later)… Rondo out and Ingram back in with 4 minutes left… Beasley in for LeBron and he takes the C spot now… A bit of a foul-prone first quarter. The small ball isn’t quite comfortable trusting the instant switches… The Lakers trailed 34-29 after the first quarter… He started the same Beasley, Kuzma, Hart, Stephenson, Ingram lineup he closed the quarter with… They fell down by 9 and Luke called a timeout… McGee in with 9 minutes left for Beasley… LeBron back in down 13 for Stephenson. Rondo in for Ingram… Svi in Kuzma a few seconds later. So LBJ slides to PF… It’s McGee, LBJ, Hart, Svi, Rondo… Svi out after giving up a layup… Starters to close… LeBron out for Kuzma in the final minute… The Lakers trailed 66-54 at the half. The Nuggets shot 14-16 from the line and had 6 offensive boards… In the second half, he started McGee, Kuzma, Ingram, KCP and Rondo… McGee with a flurry of scores at the rim to cut the lead to 7 to start the half… An 11-0 Laker run to cut it to 2… Ingram sat after getting poked in the eye, Hart in… Lakers down 2 when Zubac came in for McGee who was probably winded after just 4:34 of action from all his early quarter activity… Stephenson in for Hart, down 1… Down 4 with 4 to go, he went with Zubac, Hart, Svi, Stephenson, Ingram… Poor finish to the quarter and the Lakers trailed 96-88 heading to the fourth… He started a Williams, Hart, Ingram, Svi, Stephenson lineup… Kuzma in for Ingram, Lakers down big… KCP in for Hart down 15… Luke called a timeout down 19 with 7:48 left. The team getting too much into iso ball and little impact on D with this lineup… Caruso in for Stephenson… The entire fourth was pretty much garbage. Welcome to preseason…
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
japanesebeef1
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 11 Jul 2005
Posts: 1473
Location: Colton, CA

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:34 pm    Post subject:

Even though its preseason . . . . you DB are still at the top of your game. Thanks! *First*
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Mation
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 3614

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:41 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Harlemlakerfan
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 19 Mar 2014
Posts: 2716

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:56 pm    Post subject:

DB game summary wright ups....... Lakers basketball is indeed back!!!!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Inspector Gadget
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 18 Apr 2016
Posts: 46490

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:44 pm    Post subject:

Good to see the ESPN commentators bring up the fact that LeBron and his teams have always struggled out of the gate, will be interesting to see how long it takes for this team to get it rolling.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
BLP711
Starting Rotation
Starting Rotation


Joined: 22 Jun 2005
Posts: 543
Location: Los Angeles, CA

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:49 pm    Post subject:

As always, a great analysis....Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
RhodyRay
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 13 Apr 2001
Posts: 5470
Location: A room with a view!

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 11:25 pm    Post subject:

DB back at it again! Great write-up as usual.

First preseason game out of the way and now the Lakers can look at film and make adjustments for their next game.

It's a process and the process has begun.
_________________
Let them HATE so long as they FEAR!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Annihilator
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 02 Jul 2001
Posts: 4035

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 11:49 pm    Post subject:

Nice report. I was somewhat pleased with Rondo. I was less pleased with Zubac. It would have been nice to see him do better; he looked a little disoriented. McGee only played 20 minutes so Zubac had the opportunity to put on a show. Instead, he got only 7 minutes. Hopefully, he will do better in this next game.
_________________
“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”

--Anonymous
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Laker7
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 24 Feb 2003
Posts: 6393
Location: Past left field

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 3:06 am    Post subject:

Excellent analysis as usual DB.

Liked what I saw from McGee and Rondo. Lance and Beasley not so much. Too much ISO from the later. Zubac was not impressive but it was mostly during garbage time when the game was out of hand and everyone was trying to get their own.

L7
_________________
Keep winning!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
oldlakerfan
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 15 May 2001
Posts: 2146
Location: Tega Cay, South Carolina

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 3:07 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB I have missed those reports.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Ryan1973
Starting Rotation
Starting Rotation


Joined: 20 Jan 2013
Posts: 221

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 3:24 am    Post subject:

The Lakers defense stunk!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Gimme_the_rock
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 13 Apr 2001
Posts: 11882
Location: Looking outta the window, watching the asphalt grow ...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:52 am    Post subject:

You the man, DB. Thanks!!
_________________
We back.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
governator
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 24995

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 5:21 am    Post subject:

McGee taking Denver to school... u heard it on live tv and he backed it up in the 3rd
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
lakerican
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 3780

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 5:21 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. I watched the ESPN feed and Byron Scott was hillarious, he!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Lakers#1Team
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 36360
Location: Nomad

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 5:25 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TooMuchMajicBuss
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 17 Sep 2008
Posts: 21064
Location: In a white room, with black curtains near the station

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 6:34 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Nice to see the T&R's return!

Yes, new roster construction and the game was sloppy, but we looked far better against Denver than last year. This time around we were actually in the game, particularly as Jokic got tired. It looked to me like Luke was experimenting with small ball combos and trying to get an in-game look at each player in a couple of different settings. If this was a game Luke was coaching to win, we'd have won.

I was not impressed with Zubac's inability to grab rebounds this game. He did have some decent moments on defense, but he shouldn't be allowing second chance scoring by an opponent grabbing a rebound right on top of him.

For that matter, I didn't think the Kuz-at-center experiment looked very good either. He might have gained some muscle this summer, but he's not a banger out there just yet. If anything he's filled himself in to be a decent 4. Then again, small ball is best used in short bursts, not all game, when the opposing center is tired, and when players know each other.

REALLY impressed with McGee, Ingram, Kuzma, Hart and Rondo overall last night. And LeBron's passing. Wow.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TDRock
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 48595
Location: LA to the Bay

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 6:57 am    Post subject:

Woot woot! T&R!

Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Dr. Laker
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 17065

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:13 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
laker50
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 07 Mar 2014
Posts: 2140

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:21 am    Post subject:

The Lakers need a second center badly. Zubac won't do.
Got abused in the paint.
50-37 rebounding edge to Denver.
Once this hole is filled should get a good team.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
av3773
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 3750

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:42 am    Post subject:

Pretty much what I expected from the Lakers in the first preseason game going against a squad that has been together for a while...things that stood out for me.

1) It's going to be great having Rondo to spell Ball at the PG
2) Ingram, I agree with Bron I think he's going to take another big jump this year
3) McGee really like the element he brings to the team even if his minutes will be varied
4) Kuzma I thought was too amped up and I think we will see him settle down, don't like him at the 5 though really think he should be spelling Bron at the 4 with Rondo leading that unit at PG
5) Hart like Kuzma was pressing I think we'll see him settle down as well, but he is definitely going to give us some good minutes this season
6) It's going to be really nice to have Lonzo back, when Rondo went out I think we struggled so the Zo Do combo I expect to be nice
7) Overall I like where our team is at in terms of depth, but I do think we have an issue at the 2, I'm not sure KCP at the 2 is the answer at least in the starting role, personally I'd like to see Hart of Svi get the starting minutes there in summer league to see what looks like
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Klone_dd
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 11 Mar 2002
Posts: 7330

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:24 am    Post subject:

We're back! Now to get back-back-back!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Mamba&Magic
Sixth Man
Sixth Man


Joined: 29 Sep 2018
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:48 am    Post subject:

I'm sure these preseason games will be rough. Not a lot of practice time between games to work things out. Love reading these game recaps and love seeing the boys back on the court!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
10scott10
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 7428
Location: Making the games you play

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 12:32 pm    Post subject:

I know Lance shot well, but I hated how much he dominated the ball, it felt like it stuck in his hands a lot and helped wreck our flow. Hopefully it'll be better once Lonzo is back, since we can hopefully keep either Rondo or Lonzo out there to help run the show for 48 minutes
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Fortysixn2
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 22 Jun 2016
Posts: 2849

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 12:47 pm    Post subject:

Ty db
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:09 pm    Post subject:

10scott10 wrote:
I know Lance shot well, but I hated how much he dominated the ball, it felt like it stuck in his hands a lot and helped wreck our flow. Hopefully it'll be better once Lonzo is back, since we can hopefully keep either Rondo or Lonzo out there to help run the show for 48 minutes


I think that happened to a number of people. There was definitely a lot of standing around off ball, which helped throttle up that kind of up play. I also think Lance was seeing that he had bigs on him in mismatches so he wanted to take advantage of it.

First game, I'm not going to blast anyone for that. It's definitely a concern with the number of guys we have that like to create, but there was a lot of winging it last night offensively out of necessity.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB