The Los Angeles Lakers return to action with a scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
On Thursday, July 23, at 4:00 p.m. PDT, after months of waiting, the Los Angeles Lakers will be back on the NBA court to resume their quest at championship number 17.
The games do not quite count yet but the Lakers’ first of three scrimmages is on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. After the eight scrimmages, the Lakers have eight seeding games to play before kickstarting the NBA Playoffs, which is when it is going to get really fun.
MUST-READ: How to watch the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks scrimmage
Admittedly, this scrimmage is not going to mean a whole lot. This has more to do with getting the players back in game shape than it does any sort of result. However, with it being our first look at the Lakers in months, there are some takeaways that we want to watch for during the action.
No part of the roster is more different today than it was when the league first went on hiatus than the backcourt. The team is without Avery Bradley and will be without Rajon Rondo for 6-8 weeks and is welcoming new faces in J.R. Smith, who signed to replace Bradley, and Dion Waiters, who signed just before the hiatus but has not yet played for the Lakers.
Again, there is still a long way to go until the games actually matter but there are some things that you should be watching for from the backcourt in this return to play, starting with…