NBA in Threes: Early observations from opening week
By Jade Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers
I can’t think of a team with more pressure on them to perform this season than the Lakers. The expectations are lofty and there is a lot of internal dysfunction with the way the team has been run over the last several years that needs to be overcome. But for the fact that LeBron James is part of the Lakers roster, I wouldn’t even entertain the conversation that there’s any possibility they go from a playoff missing 37 win season the NBA Finals in a single year.
Although I’m decidedly not a fan of LeBron James, there is no denying that doing the impossible seems to be a part of his repertoire. At the beginning of the Battle of Los Angeles season opener, it seemed like James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers roster might get the season started on the right foot.
The Lakers managed to keep the Clippers in single digits until 3:33 in the first quarter with a score of 17-9. By the time the first quarter had ended, the Clippers has pulled within three points. Then the Lakers allowed the Clippers to score 40 points in the second quarter.
After that point, the Lakers never looked to be in control of the game. Sure, there were a few more lead changes, but the Clippers kept it close enough that the outcome stayed in question until the fourth quarter.
The good news is LeBron James looks good. He’s running the floor well and there’s quite a bit of bounce in his step. I guess an extended offseason has its benefits even if you do take care of yourself as well as James does. That said, James only scored four points in the entire second half.
Anthony Davis also looks like he’s ready for the season. Early on in the game, he was simply having his way in the post. Shooting away from the basket though, Davis struggled. Beyond five feet from the basket, he went 2-11 from the field including 0-2 from range. For the Lakers to have any hope of being contenders this season, Davis is simply going to have to be better offensively.
Whenever I think of the Lakers’ lineup, I cringe at the high possibility for knuckleheadedness on that team. (Yes, I did just use the word knuckleheadedness.) I mean, Javale McGee and Dwight Howard on the same roster? But nothing too crazy happened…yet. They combined for seven points, four defensive rebounds, and three blocks.
Danny Green had himself a night against the Clippers returning to the form I’d become accustomed to seeing in the 2018-19 regular season. He shot 10-14 from the field including 7-9 from beyond the arc. But for Green, the Lakers wouldn’t have been in this game at all.
While Lakers fans are calling for a stop to overreacting based on the loss of only the first game of the season, I don’t think it’s an overreaction to at least say that this loss isn’t a good sign. The Western Conference is perennially stacked and this season is no exception. The Lakers came out with a lackluster performance to start their season and are going to have to do a lot better to live up to expectations.