Analysis: Lakers shrug off preseason stumbles, but need to show their work soon

SAN FRANCISCO — As the satellite has been dilatory edging backmost to normalcy, galore NBA teams person been swinging their doors open.

Golden State, Atlanta, Utah and Memphis are immoderate of the teams that person held practices unfastened to the public, allowing them to get a person glimpse of the crippled aft being held astatine arm’s magnitude for a twelvemonth and a half. On Saturday, the Nets held a signifier successful Brooklyn Bridge Park, with adjacent Kyrie Irving successful the fold aft support from nationalist wellness officials.

The Lakers person opted to support astir of their enactment down closed doors, tinkering with a superstar-laden lineup successful practices that person been described arsenic aggravated and competitive, with lone a fewer moments unfastened toward the finish. Those sessions look to supply a wellspring of optimism for the Lakers’ sky-high ambitions due to the fact that a unsmooth commencement for the LeBron James-Russell Westbrook pairing that volition beryllium the bedrock of the squad didn’t look to shingle anyone.

The duo was 5 for 19 from the level (0 for 3 from 3-point range) with six combined assists and 11 combined points with conscionable nether 18 minutes apiece. The Lakers were outscored during some players’ minutes against Golden State, trailing by 10 astatine the fractional erstwhile James and Westbrook called it early.

The absorption was a corporate shrug.

While Westbrook fussed implicit his turnovers – six successful the archetypal 4th without making a changeable – helium said galore of the corrections impact him making casual reads, “which I’ve done for galore years.” Coach Frank Vogel chalked it up to 1 unsmooth night: “This crippled and abbreviated illustration size is not indicative of however he’s looked with our group.”

James minced the fewest words astir his feelings connected the preseason: It’s a clip for veterans similar himself to get successful signifier and get utilized to the physicality, not to show the benignant of squad that they are.

“I’m not going to larn anything,” James said of preseason games. “Nothing. That means zero.”

The crushed helium prefers monitoring the advancement of practices implicit games successful the preseason, James offered, is the accidental to hole mistakes live. When plays and schemes interruption down, coaches and players tin halt the enactment and speech done the mistakes. With the squad implementing what James called “a full caller violative system” and astir of the newcomers learning Vogel’s antiaircraft strategy for the archetypal time, there’s inactive a batch of learning happening.

But it’s getting adjacent to the clip for the Lakers to commencement showing their work, and portion an 0-3 preseason commencement isn’t discouraging, the squad hasn’t provided a batch of demonstrable sequences for fans to consciousness the buzz that is reverberating successful the gym.

Vogel hasn’t been shy astir expressing caution astir giving his stars preseason minutes. The program publically outlined is to play Westbrook and James successful astatine slightest 1 of the remaining 3 preseason games.

“We’ll huddle up earlier each crippled and spot if it makes consciousness and when, adjacent though this is the archetypal clip you each person seen these guys play together,” helium said. “They’ve been doing it beauteous regularly for a week oregon 2 present and they’re getting the indispensable work.”

What besides mightiness assistance the Lakers is simply a brushed early-season schedule: Only 4 of their archetypal 15 games travel against teams that played successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs past season, and 12 of the 15 are astatine home. If they’re inactive piecing unneurotic the on-court chemistry erstwhile the regular play rolls around, determination volition beryllium immoderate give.

But still, the clip for specified lessons is limited, and for a seasoned squad similar the Lakers, people isn’t expected to beryllium the main constituent anyway. Struggles successful the preseason mightiness not substance much, but astatine immoderate point, they will. The results request to amusement up successful places that not conscionable the Lakers tin see.