National Basketball Association

Lakers Roster Outlook After the Preseason Opener vs Sacramento Kings

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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What did we learn from the Lakers come-from-behind victory over the Sacramento Kings in the opening pre-season game?

For months now, fans have patiently waited for the start of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season and Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Sacramento Kings did not disappoint.

Trailing for most of the game, the team rallied in the second half to defeat the Kings but the victory may have left fans with more questions than before the contest started.

To begin with, wins and losses in the preseason don’t hold much water. So the Lakers comeback, which occurred while all Sacramento’s starters sat on the bench, isn’t particularly meaningful.

More over, in the first half against, the team’s ball movement was sub-par and their outside shooting was poor. Further, none of the three prized Lakers’ first-round picks of the past three years — Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle — played very well.

Ingram looked understandably anxious in his first game. Russell was sloppy with the ball and didn’t shoot well. Randle never found his rhythm and looked out-of-sorts. Hopefully we can write this off to opening game jitters rather than the start of a trend.

Here’s how the rest of the team fared individually.

Guards

Lou Williams, who surprisingly started in the backcourt alongside Russell, shot just 2-7 but showed his ability to get to the foul line, where he converted 11-of-12 free throws. Jordan Clarkson also played well as Williams’ back-up so it will be interesting to see which player starts when the regular season commences.

Jose Calderon did a nice job as the back-up point guard, with 5 points on 2-3 shooting and 3 assists in just 11 minutes, and was a leader on the court. Marcelo Huertas on the other hand excited the crowd with his passing, but his defense left much to be desired.

Anthony Brown, who some believe is competing for a roster spot, was quite impressive in his short 7-minute stint, nailing all 4 of his shots, including both his 3-point attempts. If he can continue to shoot with such confidence and accuracy, he will certainly make the team.

Former UCLA star Travis Wear, who seems to have little chance of making the team, confidently hit his first 3-point try.

Bigs

On the bright side, Timofey Mozgov showed why the Lakers pursued him in the off-season. He grabbed 9 rebounds in just 22 minutes, showed a nice touch around the rim and also did little things that don’t show up in the box score, like doubling down on defense, altering opponents’ shots and setting effective screens.

Tarik Black, who was relegated to the deep bench last season for reasons only understood by Bryon Scott, was the Lakers’ best player on the night. Scoring a team high 15 points, he also nabbed 5 rebounds in just 16 minutes, hustled on defense, and made his presence felt all over the court.

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Thomas Robinson, who was the 5th pick in the 2012 draft but has mostly been a dud in the NBA, dominated the boards in the game’s final 7 minutes, garnering 7 rebounds along with 8 points. His performance gave the Lakers at least something to think about when they make their roster cuts, even though it occurred against the Kings’ end-of-the-bench players.

Larry Nance Jr. brought some good energy when he entered the game, and swished his only 3-point attempt, but shot just 2-6 from the foul line. Rookie 7-footer Ivica Zubac only played the game’s last 5 minutes, missed both his shots and was called for traveling. But he still looked good taking the shots, and will undoubtedly fare better in future games.

Yi Jianlian, who reportedly had looked good in training camp, played just 3 minutes and badly missed his only shot attempt. Three players, all of whom are fighting for roster spots, never entered the game: veterans Nick Young, Metta World Peace, and rookie Zach Auguste.

At this early juncture, the Lakers final 15-man roster looks as follows:

Locks– Russell, Clarkson, Williams and Calderon in the backcourt, forwards Luol Deng, Ingram, Randle and Nance, and centers Mozgov, Black and Zubac. That leaves four openings.

Probable– Huertas and Brown, which would leave two available spots.

Contenders– Yi, Young, Robinson and Auguste

Most Likely to Get Cut– World Peace, Wear and rookie guard Julian Jacobs

Rookie coach Luke Walton has some tough roster decisions to make. But in the meantime, his challenge is also to improve team ball movement and to get his young studs to buy in on defense.

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