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The 2018-2019 Los Angeles Lakers Thread

@toheeb27 I'm diggin this lineup with BI at the 2 and Kuz at the 3. The five flow well offensively. If they can get the rotations down, it can be a hell of a defensive lineup as well.
 
@toheeb27 I'm diggin this lineup with BI at the 2 and Kuz at the 3. The five flow well offensively. If they can get the rotations down, it can be a hell of a defensive lineup as well.
Looking good in this game, but to be fair, the Mavs have been underwhelming so far. Their SG does not have the ability to exploit the foot speed of Ingram and Kuz on the perimeter.
 
Lakers stopped running the offense and are standing around watching Lebron
 
Going through 5-man lineup stats, i would like to see the lineup (L. James, .L. Ball, .K. Kuzma, .J. Hart, .J. Williams) get more playing time. Seems like its the one that treads the needle btw offense and defense the best.

Still small sample size, but there should be no point where Lonzo and Lance are on the floor together. They have played 60 mins together so far this season and their net ratings offensively and defensively sucks.

The new starting lineup is showing potential (especially defensively) based on the early numbers, hopefully Luke stays with it for awhile.

https://stats.nba.com/lineups/advan...gular Season&TeamID=1610612747&sort=MIN&dir=1
 
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25151211/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-damian-lillard


2. Cuttin' Kyle Kuzma
Shooting made Kuzma an obvious fit next to LeBron James, but his canny cutting has taken that to another level. Kuzma skulks the baseline when his defender gawks at the ball. That is a handy skill playing with LeBron; the Lakers run a lot of their offense through the elbows, and LeBron attracts eyeballs lording over the action there.

Even better: Kuzma executes those baseline sneaks amid the chaos of semi-transition, and that is where the Lakers live.

Brandon Ingram should too, even if he deserves more run leading second units when LeBron sits. As I wrote before the season, playing James, Kuzma and Ingram together with a center -- JaVale McGee -- shifts the Lakers toward giant lineups.

That might be their best hope for offense-defense balance. The current starting five, with Lonzo Ball rounding it out, is plus-13 in 31 minutes so far. McGee has been, frankly, incredible by his standards over an unthinkable 27 minutes per game. (The Lakers need to be careful, starting yesterday, about running McGee into the ground.)

The Lakers, an awful defensive team overall, have allowed only 98 points per 100 possessions with LeBron and McGee on the floor, a mark that would rank second in the league, per NBA.com.

That starting five shoves Josh Hart, an essential two-way bruiser, into backup duty. Hart might just have to accept that. He is versatile enough to log 25-plus minutes off the bench, especially if the Lakers stop experimenting with silly things like playing Ball and Rajon Rondo extended stretches together.

They might even think about giving run to a super-big lineup featuring no traditional point guard -- something like Hart, Ingram, James, Kuzma and McGee/Johnathan Williams. Hart needs to play more than Rondo, period.

Luke Walton is solving a weird roster puzzle. Kuzma has solved part of it for him.
 
Going through Chan
I wasn't even up on this rumored signing. I like it. Back to the G for my guy Williams. What's this mean for Zubac?
Williams is on a 2 way contract, he was always scheduled to go back and forth. G-League season starts today. He only has 45 days with the main team starting today. Zubac is safe for now. We have an open roster spot. If someone else useful gets bought out, then Zubac might get cut.
 
Going through Chan

Williams is on a 2 way contract, he was always scheduled to go back and forth. G-League season starts today. He only has 45 days with the main team starting today. Zubac is safe for now. We have an open roster spot. If someone else useful gets bought out, then Zubac might get cut.

Yeah I knew he only had the 45 days but I enjoy watching the youngster hustle and fight. Was going to see more early this season. But this is definitely an upgrade so I can't be mad.

I hope all of this spurs Zupac into becoming what he should be by now.
 
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