3. Lakers fans saw this exact same story last year
Despite the points that have already been outlined, there are still some Lakers fans who are taking the preseason results with a grain of salt. After all, it is the preseason and in the preseason there are players playing that won’t even be on the roster and the team very obviously is not playing with its normal rotation.
While that is true, to an extent, you have to think about who is playing in these games. While the superstars might not be getting the big minutes, most of the other minutes are going to players who are going to be in the team’s rotation this season.
If these players cannot succeed in the preseason when they are in a less-pressured situation then why should we expect them to perform in the regular season when it matters?
Lakers fans have already seen this same exact song and dance from last season. Last year, the Lakers went 0-6 in the preseason with Russell Westbrook and at the time, fans and pundits alike were making positive spins despite the negative outcomes.
And what happened? The preseason ended up being the perfect warning shot for the regular season. We couldn’t just throw the six ugly preseason games away as they were a precursor to what the team would be in the regular season.
Lakers trade mistake somehow just got even worse
The Los Angeles Lakers made a pretty avoidable trade mistake earlier this offseason that somehow got even worse with recent roster cuts.
So why should we do that this preseason? The team has improved record-wise but in terms of the eye test and how this team is playing, it is quite ugly.