It is time for the Los Angeles Lakers to prepare for their regular-season opener on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets. Their preseason schedule is over, and one could say the results were mixed. They went 2-4, capped by a 123-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
However, when one looks beneath the surface, there are reasons to be hopeful and even excited. Head coach Darvin Ham didn’t play his starters or regulars much in the second half of any game. Although they did get some run on Thursday, most of them exited midway through the third quarter.
When Ham made that line change, the Lakers led by one. By the end of the quarter, they trailed by 16.
Nonetheless, he says he liked what he saw, noting how his regulars were able to play “stress-free basketball” on offense while pressuring Phoenix on the defensive end.
"I saw a lot of continuity… We can just play stress-free basketball. No one has to force anything." Darvin Ham likes what he sees heading into the regular season. pic.twitter.com/BhpzWB19eI
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 20, 2023
Ham said transition defense and defensive rebounding were areas that need to be worked on. On Thursday, L.A. was outrebounded by 14 and gave up 18 second-chance points. Those are two things that cannot continue if the team is serious about winning the NBA championship this season.
