1. The Battle of the Lottery Picks
November 15 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
This is easily the most exciting game of the season for Lakers fans. Actually, basketball fans, in general, should be excited for many reasons. I named it the Battle of the Lottery Picks for a reason. Between the two teams, there are nine lottery picks drafted in the last four years, eight of which were all drafted in the top 10.
Of those drafted in the top 10, six were drafted in the top three of their perspective draft consisting of two number one picks, two number two picks, and two number three picks. This is a game of the future. This could easily be a preview of the 2020 NBA Finals and that is something worth watching.
This will be the first game that 2016 number one overall pick Ben Simmons will play against number two overall pick Brandon Ingram. This will be the first game that 2017 number one overall pick Markelle Fultz will play against number two overall pick Lonzo Ball, and we all know the amount of talk that has occurred between those two players.
Not to mention it is in Los Angeles, which means the LaVar Ball will most likely be in attendance. Let’s not forget what happened with Joel Embiid said about LaVar Ball last month. I am sure there will be some controversy happening there in Embiid’s first game against the Lakers since those comments. All in all, this will be a fun matchup because it will show Lakers fans how their young guys compare to the Sixers’ who have been stacking up top picks like they’re collector’s items.
Next: Ranking the 50 greatest Lakers of all-time
It is very hard to predict what the Lakers will do this season. They are in a very stacked conference with a very young team and few players that can actually change the way this season goes. They could be a nine seed in the West or the very bottom of the entire NBA, either way, these games will be fun to watch and watching how the young players grow and develop is always intriguing. The future is bright is bright LA, stay tuned.