The Lakers will play their second preseason game of the weekend when they travel to San Francisco to face the Warriors on Sunday. Golden State has not yet played a preseason game.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors
When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Oct. 5
Where: Chase Center
Watch: ESPN, Spectrum Sportsnet
On one hand, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Lakers, sans Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero, looked bad against the Suns on Friday. It was a disjointed group
and starting lineup that, hopefully, won’t be starting many games this year.
However, on the other hand, many of the shortcomings shown in the loss to Phoenix were not ones that come simply from missing players. Even in a preseason game, it wasn’t a great showing and that is almost certainly something the coaching staff will bring up.
The challenge for the Lakers is to make this game, which will likely feature the same list of available players, more than just a bit of cardio. While their main creators are out, the Lakers can still have a bit more of a concerted effort on both ends.
How much adjustment there is from the first game will be interesting, too. Will Deandre Ayton, who spoke about wanting to be more of a defensive presence, have more of an offensive presence in this one? Will Jarred Vanderbilt flash more of the improved offense and jumper he’s talked about during training camp?
There are still plenty of things left to find out about the Lakers in this one. Hopefully, there are more positives and answers than came from Friday’s contest.
Notes and Updates
- There is no injury report for preseason games. We won’t have a firm idea of who is out until closer to the game and potentially JJ Redick’s pregame availability. However, it seems like the same players will be able out in this one that were out on Friday.
- Jonathan Kuminga’s long national nightmare of restricted free agency is over, which means he should be good to go in the preseason.
- DeAnthony Melton, who briefly seemed destined for the Lakers this summer, will not be ready for the start of the season.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
