The Los Angeles Lakers’ final preseason game of 2022 was Friday evening versus the Sacramento Kings, and it was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for their regular season opener on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.
Many were expecting regular season-type rotations and minutes, not to mention more cohesion and execution on both ends of the floor.
Instead, it was a comedy of errors, almost from start to finish, as Los Angeles got routed 133-86.
The Lakers were competitive for much of the first quarter. But the game started to get away from them late in the period, and after that, it was no contest.
They were without Anthony Davis (lower back soreness), Dennis Schroder (finger injury), Lonnie Walker IV (ankle injury) and Troy Brown Jr. (back injury). In addition, Russell Westbrook, who came off the bench for the first time as a Laker, exited in the first quarter with a hamstring ailment.
With the contest out of reach in the second half, L.A.’s regular players got little playing time, making it hard to fully judge its performance in this game.
Nonetheless, a few things stood out.
Outside shooting remains a problem
On Wednesday night, the Lakers had major problems hitting from beyond the arc, and it carried over into their Friday tilt with the Kings.
The lack of 3-point shooting has been one of the team’s biggest concerns for a while now, and while it could significantly improve once it gets into the swing of the regular season, there could be too many nights like Wednesday and Friday where the rims seem too tight.
Lakers shot 30% (66/220) from 3 in the preseason.
Kendrick Nunn (10/25), Anthony Davis (4/10) and Matt Ryan (10/27) were the only players to shoot over 35% from 3.
— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) October 15, 2022
One bright spot may have been forward Matt Ryan, who is trying to make the final roster. He got significant playing time late, and he was able to drain a couple of 3-pointers.
On Sunday versus Golden State, he got hot by hitting 6-of-9 from downtown, helping L.A. to its only preseason win this year.
Will the Lakers be able to stop opponents consistently?
The hiring of head coach Darvin Ham meant a recommitment to the two staples of the Lakers’ 2020 championship season: defense and fast breaks.
Both were practically non-existent on Friday night, and while the Lakers had long stretches in the exhibition season where their rotation players successfully contained the opposing team, there just wasn’t an abundance of good defense.
Los Angeles held its opponent under 110 points in just one of its six preseason games. While some of these struggles could be attributed to the fact that it has many new players, and Ham playing a lot of third-string and G League players in the second halves of games, there is also some reason to be concerned moving forward.
The positive is that the Lakers, when healthy, have many more players capable of playing defense than they did last year, both in the backcourt and at the center position.
Health is a concern (again)
By the end of the 2021 preseason, injuries were piling up for the Lakers, as Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Talen Horton-Tucker suffered ailments that would keep them out for some time once the regular season started.
This time around, things may not be as bad or concerning, but there is still reason for concern.
Schroder’s finger injury could be a long-term issue, and it is unknown at this time how much longer he will be out. Although nothing is known about Westbrook’s availability for opening night either, hamstring injuries can be tricky, as they can easily reoccur or become re-aggravated.
The good news is that Davis and Walker are expected to be available for the season opener on Tuesday.
Anthony Davis and Lonnie Walker IV are both out tonight for precautionary reasons.
But both will “definitely play” in season opener.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 15, 2022
The Lakers have been hit hard by the injury bug over the last two years. Avoiding the injury bug this year will be a huge key to success for them.
