The Los Angeles Lakers started their campaign in the new season with a loss against the defending champions. Since the conference finals last season, the Denver Nuggets have defeated the LA side in five straight games. Anyhow, the players in gold and purple jerseys were looking for redemption in their season opener. But things did not go according to plans. In the end, the season opener finished with the Nuggets winning 119-107. But what are the changes and adjustments the LA side can look for? The most notable is the new starting lineup that Darvin Ham presented against the Nuggets on October 24.
Ham gave the point guard’s role to D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves was the shooting guard, and, of course, there was LeBron James as the power forward and Anthony Davis at the center. But the fifth starter was Taurean Prince, playing as the small forward. Many argue that Gabe Vincent must have been playing the role of the starting point guard instead of Russell. Anyhow, an issue that might cause confusion would be the bench perimeter depth.
Darvin Ham Must Adjust His Wing Rotation
In the game against the Denver Nuggets, Darvin Ham went 10-deep. However, it proved to be too much for the LA Lakers to handle the unstoppably effective attack of the defending champions late in the game. After coming off the bench, Gabe Vincent scored 22 points. But the Lakers did not have a great offensive rhythm. On the other end, the LA side constantly conceived fouls. Anyway, Gabe Vincent had a productive game against the Nuggets. But Darvin Ham used Cam Reddish as the backup of Austin Reaves. Cam Reddish is a 6’8 small forward but a miscast who is pretty athletic but lacks court awareness.
Moreover, the Lakers coach also tried Max Christie, the second-year wingman, at a time when the game was almost over, but there was nothing extra anyone could do. However, Christie was never really a part of the Lakers coach’s first choice for opening night rotation. Max Christie is really good at scoring two points but is also improving pretty well in shooting three-pointers. Moreover, Max has defensive awareness, which should make him a far better choice than Cam Reddish. Max Christie may not be a big star yet as Reddish, but it won’t be an ideal choice to waste his talent on the bench at present.
Lakers Pay Tribute To Their Former Coach Frank Vogel
However, in the second game of the Lakers against the Suns, their former coach returned to the Crypto.com arena. Frank Vogel coached the LA side that won the 2020 championship. The Arena honored the return of the former coach with a tribute video. Vogel signed with the Suns as their head coach this offseason. But the LA side had more revenge to take in their second game of the season against the Phoneix Suns.
The Lakers just played a tribute video for former head coach Frank Vogel, who’s making his Crypto.coma Arena return tonight. pic.twitter.com/w5kKGQoen7
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 27, 2023
During the preseason, the Suns beat the Lakers 123-100. It was a clear blowout. But the 17-time champions came back stronger in the regular season as LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the side to beat Kevin Durant’s team 100-95. The Lakers will play against the Sacramento Kings next on October 30.
