– January 3rd vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Shortly after the holiday season, the Lakers will be at home hosting the New Orleans Pelicans. While the Pelicans don’t figure to be a threat in the Western Conference this season, they are a very young team with a lot of exciting players and familiar faces.
This offseason, the trade to acquire Anthony Davis resulted in the Pelicans basically taking the young core of the Lakers away. This game will be the first time that Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart all return to Los Angeles.
While the young core might not have accomplished anything in Los Angeles, they were all liked by the fans and should receive some nice warm ovations. As the Pelicans look to rebuild quickly, it will be interesting to see what type of seasons these three young players are having when they visit.
Due to the magnitude of the Davis trade, seeing what happens in the careers of Ball, Ingram, and Hart will always be monitored to see if the Lakers made a mistake by trading them away. While we won’t be able to answer that question in January, it will be fun to see the young talent back in Los Angeles.
In addition to the return of those three, it will always be the first time that Zion Williamson plays in Los Angeles. As the No.1 overall pick and one of the most exciting players to come out of college in a long time. January 3rd will be a fun night.