The Los Angeles Lakers played the first of two preseason games in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, falling to the Phoenix Suns to move to 0-2 in the preseason. The preseason win-loss record does not matter at all for LA as the team is instead looking to improve its operation before the 2022-23 season begins.
We have learned a decent amount about the Lakers in two preseason games and for the most part, the takeaways have been positive. Despite the 0-2 record, we have seen some strong play from key individuals.
This is not a reason to get overly excited and expect big things this season, but it a positive note that Lakers fans can hold onto. That being said, not everyone has played well, as there also have been some disappointing players as well.
Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from the Lakers’ loss to the Suns:
Stud: Austin Reaves
We already know what kind of player LeBron James is so he is not going to make the cut on this list. Instead, a very important second-year player is worth highlighting more, as Austin Reaves put together a solid game and continued to prove why LeBron and the team are high on him.
Reaves was yet another example of the Lakers finding a legitimate rotation player out of nothing last season and his play has only gotten better with a full NBA offseason to work on his craft. In this game particularly, Reaves showcased how he can have a two-way impact on the game with his high effort and basketball IQ.
On top of playing the kind of positive hustle defense that Darvin Ham wants to see, Reaves also had a fairly positive impact on the offensive end of the court. While he scored just six points in 28 minutes, he did finish with nine assists and seven rebounds to go along with his three steals and two blocks.