Lakers vs. Suns Preview: Forgetting Last Night

It’s not the sort of thing Julius Randle is proud of, but he is now on a list of rookie talents who have befallen tragic injury. In the 2009 season, Blake Griffin was hurt in the exhibition season after dunking the ball, landing awkwardly and cracking his knee cap. He, too, was forced to wait a year. Randle is 19. Blake Griffin was 20. There were no long lasting consequences for Griffin in the aftermath. He has dunked thousands of times since that moment, put weight on the knee, and remained healthy and active and explosive.

The same sort of outlook can be expected of Julius Randle. Working in his favor is that Randle has already suffered through a foot injury his senior year in high school. He is well acquainted with the mental burden of pushing through rehabilitation and regaining his muscle strength which is the primary goal of getting back to where he was before his injury occurred.

Oct 28, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) is tended to after an injury during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Culturally, we are in an era where one thing begets another and blame is always assessed. No doubt about it, the Lakers have had more than their fair share of debilitating injuries the past few seasons. But playing sports as a profession increases the stakes for injuries to the Achilles, concussions, stress fractures, broken legs, sprained ligaments- these all come with the game itself and are the small inhibitors of an athletic career. As well as a player’s own skeletal and muscular history: are they injury prone, are their bodies equipped to sustain long periods of contact for long periods of time?

Last year, Jordan Farmar was injured twice with a hamstring injury. This year he sat out exhibition games for the Clippers because of back issues. Jodie Meeks was injury free last year. This year he has a stress fracture in his back. Blaming trainers is a slippery slope of which there is no definitive answer.

“We’re a family in here.” It was all Wesley Johnson could think to say after the game. Those are the emotional ties the Lakers have to lean on the day after such a shocking twist to their season opener. Catastrophe has as its silver lining, the tightening of bonds. It is what the Lakers have on their side as they head into Phoenix and game two of the season. The game will be a test to their mental toughness and fortitude. Can they block out the sorrow of Julius in pain and focus on the game plan?

Last night, the Lakers were tested on the inside and mostly failed. Tonight they will be tested on the outside. Phoenix is a perimeter shooting team that loves to get into the paint with their combination of point guards: Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas. Gerald Green is their three point shooter lingering on the perimeter when the paint gets too crowded for the guards. Same with the Morris twins. The Lakers defense will be tested once again.

Last night, Houston shot 42% which is in the range that Byron Scott is aiming for: 40-43%. (The worst field goal percentage in the NBA last year was 44%.) But the Lakers were abysmal guarding the three point line. Most of James Harden three point shots were contested, the kind you live with because he’s a talented perimeter scorer. But many of the corner threes were not.

Oct 28, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) shoots against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Add to that, the Lakers offense was particularly terrible. The team shot 35% which will win exactly 0 games in the NBA. Their point guards struggled getting everyone else good shots. The point guards were 2-12, missing on many open looks.

Jeremy Lin led the Lakers in turnovers: 4. Overall, turnovers were the most positive stat. The Lakers only turned the ball over 11 times. The point guards need better ball movement and the bigs need to do a better job on the offensive boards. The Lakers missed 51 shots but only rebounded 20% of their misses. 6 players had no offensive rebounds.

How the Lakers play tonight will be an indicator of the mental toughness of this team. They’ve suffered a lot of blows early. Can they survive the avalanche?

One more thing. Julius Randle is the Lakers highest draft pick since James Worthy in 1982. What happened to ‘Big Game’ James in his rookie year in 1982?

He broke his leg.