Fans are getting a taste of Los Angeles Lakers basketball for the first time in nearly six months as the preseason is set to get underway. At the team’s core, not much has changed from last season but the messaging is that a new coach and new commitment will lead to better results. We will see about that.
While preseason games don’t count and the final outcome doesn’t really matter, we can learn things about the team in the process. Last preseason Russell Westbrook and the team had serious turnover problems that were just pushed off as growing pains in games that didn’t matter. As we all saw, it ended up being a warning for what was to come during the season.
Fans should not overreact if the team goes undefeated in the preseason but they also should not ignore any potential warning signs. Regardless, there are some burning questions that fans are going to want the answers to.
1. Is Russell Westbrook really going to buy into what the Lakers want?
Spoiler alert: I think the answer to this question is going to be no as Russell Westbrook has not changed how he has played basketball his entire career. But hey, you never know, crazier things have happened in this league and Westbrook could surprise us.
Westbrook has not even been guaranteed a starting spot in the lineup by Darvin Ham, which could motivate the former MVP to buy into the things that the team is selling him. Perhaps we see a more selfless Westbrook in the preseason, which would be a promising sign for every fan.
In this particular instance, I would avoid getting too excited if it does seem like Russ is buying into LA’s plans for him. It is easy to buy into this now at the beginning of the year when everything is fresh and the outcomes don’t matter.
But as we have seen time and time again, guys typically tend to revert back to their old habits the longer the season goes on.
2. How will Darvin Ham make up for the lack of Lakers wings?
It has been well-documented here at Lake Show Life but the Lakers are entering the 2022-23 season with a pretty unbalanced roster. This roster is extremely guard-heavy entering the season and lacks true depth at the wing, which we know is so important in today’s NBA.
We are not going to see the complete picture of the rotation right away in the preseason with lesser names playing and some guys not even with the team yet (Dennis Schroder). However, we can still get an idea of how Ham plans on working through this unbalanced roster.
We already know that the team views Patrick Beverley as a three-and-D wing, which is a bit absurd considering he is a six-foot-one point guard. Just because he can defend the perimeter and is decent at three-point shooting does not make him a three-and-D wing.
Then there are options like Lonnie Walker IV, who is traditionally a two-guard but is probably going to have to play more of a small forward role on this team because of the roster that LA has put together. They certainly aren’t going to play Kendrick Nunn as a wing before Walker.
Again, we will not see the complete version of the rotation but we will at least get a framework on how Ham plans on attacking this unique group of players.
3. Who is going to earn the last spot on the Lakers roster?
The Los Angeles Lakers currently have 14 players signed to the active roster, leaving room for one more signing before the 2022-23 season. This is a similar position that the team was in last year as they eventually used the final roster spot for Avery Bradley.
Los Angeles wanted to keep room for a buyout market in the future but did not want to have to pay an entire salary to release someone, so Bradley got a non-guaranteed contract that the Lakers could get out from if needed. Don’t be surprised if that is the route the team takes this year.
If Los Angeles wants to sign a non-guaranteed deal then we could see the team give the roster spot to someone like Matt Ryan. Ryan was brought in on a training camp deal and is a wing that can hit three-point shots.
Perhaps the best option for the team is Cole Swider, an undrafted free agent marksman who shot the ball really well in college and followed that with a great showing in the G League. However, Swider is currently signed to a two-way deal and LA may take the long-term approach of keeping him on that for the time being.
Absurd hurdle that may have kept Lakers from trading Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Lakers ultimately did not trade Russell Westbrook to the Lakers and there may have been an absurd hurdle that stopped a deal.
Regardless, Los Angeles is not going to simply leave this roster spot empty and with there being so many variables on the team, it is important that they maximize who they bring in and don’t simply hand out a roster spot to someone.