4. Who’s playing the four and five on the back line?
I’ll say it again…positionless basketball is nice to talk about, but the NBA is about matchups. The Nuggets have an advantage already on the backline on offense and defense with Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers deal with these two after the Lakers struggled to handle the Nuggets back line.
Jokic was killing JaVale McGee down low in the first preseason game. It was McGee that showed gamesmanship running the floor and getting Jokic tired. Millsap is a player, folks. He didn’t do too much on Sunday, but don’t let that fool you. He’s a strong low post player that can make plays for his teammates. You might see that tonight.
Rebounding is the number one issue here. There were times that the Lakers back line was being muscled.
The Nuggets destroyed the Lakers on the boards 50 to 37. The killer? The 13 offensive rebounds that gave the Nuggets extra possessions. The Lakers cannot run if they don’t secure the rebound. This is so important that to me the offense does not matter. Defense wins championships and rebounds brings rings.
Can Brandon Ingram keep it up?
The Lakers had better find a way to get some synergy between LeBron James and Brandon Ingram. These are the best two players on the team…period. Now it’s time to develop the chemistry between these two. The pairing can cover up a lot of flaws of the roster until Luke Walton figures it out. Both players need to spend a lot of time on the floor together.
Look for a post game report after the game. Leave comments below. Lake Show Life is about you, the Los Angeles Lakers fans. Let’s enjoy the journey together this season.