Normally, the NBA exhibition season is nothing too hard, as teams look to get their feet wet, get into game shape and start establishing chemistry and rhythm before the real games commence.
Although some fans feel preseason games don’t matter and are unnecessary, they’re actually important since they act as a dress rehearsal and help make sure everyone is ready for the regular season, both individually and collectively as a team.
On the other hand, sometimes a preseason schedule could be a little too arduous. That is the situation the Los Angeles Lakers will find themselves in once fall starts and they report for training camp.
Their exhibition schedule for the 2023-24 season will be as challenging as anyone can remember one being.
The Lakers preseason schedule for 2023-24 was just released and it’s got some notable competition:
Two games against Steph Curry and the Warriors
One against Giannis and the Bucks
One against Mikal Bridges and the upstart Nets
And the finale against KD, DBook, Beal and the Suns pic.twitter.com/fejgHyXifR— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 21, 2023
Two of their first three games will take place versus Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the team they defeated in the Western Conference semifinals. This isn’t unusual or unexpected, as Los Angeles has often played the Warriors during the preseason.
Its second game will be against the Brooklyn Nets, an upstart team that may or may not make the playoffs.
But after their second contest versus Golden State, the Lakers will take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that won the world championship just two years ago. Their exhibition schedule will then conclude with a bang when they face Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the new-look Phoenix Suns.
As strenuous as this stretch may seem, it will be important for LeBron James to suit up for as many of these games as possible in order to build chemistry and cohesiveness with his teammates.
James has had a tendency to skip preseason games in recent years, and if the Lakers will have any shot at winning it all next season, he will need to value each contest beginning with the preseason.
