The Los Angeles Lakers made huge splashes this offseason with their several transactions. But the Lakers did not have a great preseason. Now, the Lakers will have to put aside any concerns as they open the regular season on Tuesday on the road against the defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles<\/a> went 2-4 in the preseason, losing their last three contests. While the games were just exhibition contests, a few things had to be concerning for the Lakers, who got off to a slow start last season. The Lakers went 1-6 in the preseason last year.<\/p>\n Defense has to be LA’s biggest concern entering the season. The Lakers gave up 120 or more points in four of their six contests, allowing an average of nearly 116 a game. They ranked 25th in defensive ranking. While the Lakers weren’t very good defensively, part of the reason was that they played at a blistering pace (108.1 possessions) and turned the ball over 18.1% of their possessions offensively.<\/p>\n The Lakers<\/a> had 14 players with a negative plus\/minus rating. Christian Wood<\/strong><\/a> and Cam Reddish<\/strong><\/a> were the worst and most concerning at\u00a0 -9.7 and -17.0.<\/p>\n Injuries are also a potential concern for the Lakers. However, on a positive note, D’Angelo Russell,<\/strong><\/a> Anthony Davis,<\/strong><\/a> and Taurean Prince<\/strong><\/a> looked good during preseason action.<\/p>\n Los Angeles’ roster is much more talented and deeper than a season ago. Still, the Lakers’ success will depend on the health and productivity of\u00a0 LeBron James<\/strong> <\/a>and Davis. The Lakers appear content to head into the regular season with 17 players, including three on two-way contracts. Expect them to add another player later in the season.<\/p>\n While talking about the Lakers opening night opponent, the Nuggets, Darvin Ham revealed to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin<\/a> that Prince<\/a> will be the Lakers’ fifth starter. Not sure if this is just for one game or a few. Ham called<\/p>\n Prince replaces Jarred Vanderbilt<\/strong><\/a>, who started 24 of his 26 regular season appearances for the Lakers last season, in the lineup. But the 29-year-old forward has started 222 times in his career and had an outstanding preseason contest. He averaged 9.3 points on 55.9% shooting from the field and made 1.8 treys at a 48.5% clip. Prince also recorded a +3.3 plus\/minus rating.<\/p>\n Ham called Prince’s start “circumstantial”<\/a> because Vanderbilt is day-to-day with a heel injury and will likely not be available for the season opener.<\/p>\n Rui Hachimura<\/strong><\/a> was also a candidate to start. Hachimura averaged 10.5 points and grabbed 4.0 rebounds while posting a shooting slash line of .455\/.333\/.889. But he only posted a -2.0 plus\/minus rating.<\/p>\n The following was The Athletic’s Jovan Buha’<\/a>s evaluation of each candidate.<\/p>\n “Each candidate has a different argument. Of the three, Vanderbilt is the best perimeter defender, which the starters clearly need, and adds solid rebounding and infectious energy. Hachimura is sturdy and athletic, capable of finishing in the paint and midrange areas while also defending bigs. Prince is the best shooter by a significant margin, an important box to check in a James-Davis frontcourt.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Gabe Vincent<\/strong><\/a> has been dealing with back tightness but has been cleared to play in the opener tweeted\u00a0Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Vincent played in three of the Lakers’ six preseason games but had been out since October 12 with a back ailment.<\/p>\n Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel soreness) is day-to-day, per Darvin Ham. Gabe Vincent is cleared to play on opening night in Denver. Jalen Hood-Schifino is still being evaluated.<\/p>\n — Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe Starters and Injuries<\/h3>\n
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