The Lakeshow Review

On most nights, this would just be your average mid-November game on a Tuesday night. For LA however, every game seems to carry a storyline. Last night, it was LeBron James, the NBAs all-time leading scorer, making his season debut for an unprecedented 23rd time. LeBron had been sidelined with sciatica since training camp, and missed the team’s initial 14 games. After ramping up basketball activities in the past few days, even being assigned to the Lakers’ G-League affiliate the D-Fenders, LeBron was ready to rejoin the team. In fact, the Lakers also welcomed back guard Gabe Vincent, who had been sitting out due to a left ankle sprain, as well as guard Marcus Smart back, who’d been nursing a right quad contusion, back to the lineup. Even though it was a shoddy performance, LA managed to topple their opponent, the Utah Jazz, by a score of 140-126. It was the team’s first game where they sported a clean injury list, and hopefully it’ll stay that way, as the Lakers truly need continuity and reps in order to build chemistry with their current roster. For this game, the team took care of its business, coming back home from their first road trip of the year, and now sit at 11-4 for the season.

The Jazz came out white hot to start the game, as they opened up an early 16-6 lead on the Lakers. Early on, LA were plagued by terrible defensive execution. Namely, they had issues with their defensive switching, as their ‘soft’ switches often left the ballhandler open for a three. They often also failed to get behind the screener during switches, leaving the screener free to slip the pick and sprint into easy an look at the rim with no backside help. Jazz guard Keyonte George had it going early, as his 13 points shredded LAs defense, guiding Utah to a 36-27 advantage after the first quarter. George finished the game with 34 points and eight assists, as the he gave the Lakers guards, including Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart, fits all night.

LA settled in during the second quarter, outscoring the Jazz 40-35 for the period, as the offense started to click with both Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić tallying 11 points apiece. Luka would go on to have another brilliant game, scoring 37 points to go with five boards, 100 assists and four steals. They eventually tied the game late in the first half, before Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen converted on a four-point play to give Utah a four point lead, 71-67, lead before the half buzzer. Markkanen proved unstoppable for the game, scoring 31 points to go with five boards, as he routinely hurt LA primarily as a pop man on screening actions. The Lakers encountered all kinds of defensive outages this game, particularly with their switching as well as their defensive help responsibilities. They often left two on the ball, while letting the shooter roam free for an open shot. Or in other instances, they’d simply lose sight of their man, leaving open for a shot or a cut to the rim. Sloppy offensive execution also gave way to many transition opportunities for the Jazz. These all come down to effort and communication, and the Lakers certainly seem to play down to their competition far too often. Last night, it was obvious that the team took its foot off the gas against a lesser opponent. Thankfully, they never really allowed the game to get too far out of hand.

The Lakers managed to tighten things up to start the second half, as they won the third period 37-22. Their execution looked much crisper, with LeBron James leading the charge. LeBron deserves some credit, as he managed to keep the flow of the offense without taking anything off the table in his first game back in action. His 11 points and 12 assists were complementary of the team, with his playmaking in particular helping to organize things offensively in the second half. He was very effective operating out of the post, as well as being a facilitator in transition, helping LA win the fastbreak points battle 15-11. Both LeBron and Austin Reaves showed great chemistry, going back to their level of play last season pre-Luka trade. AR finished with 26 points and four rebounds. The Lakers still committed some mistakes defensively, but their offensive execution greatly picked up in the second half.

They’d go on to close out Utah in the fourth, wining the quarter 36-33. LA sat their starters around the two minute mark, as the contest had already been decided. The game went about as you’d have expected it to go, with the Lakers getting off to a sluggish start, as they welcomed three players (James, Smart and Vincent) back to the rotation. They managed to tighten some screws in the second half, where they asserted their dominance and cruised to what looked like am easy win. It also doesn’t hurt that Utah is terrible, and will likely be tanking at some point in this season, but right now the Lakers just need to a.) win games and b.) stay healthy. They’ve been doing the former, and are starting to do the latter. After that, they definitely need to polish some things, particularly on the defensive end. Their switching and rotations need work, as they’re often caught doing a lazy switch with no backside help. They should also look to solidify the low man’s responsibilities on ball screen actions and drives to the rim, as there seems to be confusion on their part regarding it. On the bright the side, they’re winning games, while still figuring out their identity, which speaks to a team that has the raw talent to compete. Now it comes down to ironing things out. Fortunately, the team will have four days off before they travel to Utah to take on the Jazz once again, this time in Salt Lake City. After that they’ll go back to LA for a four-game homestand, and it’s imperative that they keep playing with the necessary effort and tenacity to maintain their place in the current standings, where they sit at fourth place in the Western Conference. With LeBron back in the fold, and a relatively healthy squad, now’s the right time to make a bigger push in the standings and try to reach that next gear. Go Lakers.