Analysis
Austin Reaves Should Take More Threes for the Unbeaten Lakers
Reaves has made eight of his first 13 threes. The Lakers should chase more good attempts from him, with expectations grounded in his longer shooting record.
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Analysis
Lineups, film and numbers that explain how the Lakers work when the game gets serious.
Latest in Analysis
Analysis / 1d ago
Luka Doncic's Defense Must Arrive Before the Lakers Fall Behind
The charge and the steal mattered in Utah. So did the opening physicality JJ Redick criticized. The Lakers should demand the engaged version of Doncic from the tip.
Analysis / 2d ago
Sandro Mamukelashvili Should Play Beside Kessler for the Lakers
Mamukelashvili made 115 threes for Toronto last season. Give that shot a trial at power forward, with Walker Kessler handling the center assignment.
Analysis / 2d ago
Walker Kessler Gives the Lakers Permission to Pressure the Ball
The Lakers' wings should keep attacking the ball with Kessler behind them. Friday also showed why the next defender's decision matters as much as the first swipe.
Analysis / 3d ago
Walker Kessler's Free Throws Need a Lakers Closing Plan Now
Kessler has made 4 of 9 free throws as a Laker after shooting 54.5% across his Utah career. Keep his defense on the floor, but rehearse the possessions that could send him to the line.
Analysis / 3d ago
Walker Kessler's Utah Return Needs Lakers Help on the Glass
Utah grabbed 14 offensive rebounds Friday. Kessler's return to Salt Lake City should be a test of whether the Lakers can finish the possessions he helps defend.
Analysis / 3d ago
Ziaire Williams Should Give the Lakers More Cuts Than Jumpers
Williams spent two Brooklyn seasons taking most of his shots from three. His Lakers role should make better use of what he does near the basket.
Analysis / 4d ago
Jarred Vanderbilt Must Chase Rebounds to Earn Lakers Minutes
Vanderbilt took more threes and collected a smaller share of offensive rebounds last season. The Lakers should reverse those priorities.
Analysis / 5d ago
Austin Reaves' Free Throws Demand More Lakers Creation Chances
Reaves reached the line more often in 51 games last season than in 73 the year before. The Lakers should keep giving him possessions to attack beside Luka Doncic.
Analysis / 6d ago
JJ Redick Should Give the Lakers' Wing Starters Time to Fail
Redick calls adversity his biggest unknown. I want patience with missed shots, a clear standard for missed assignments and a fair run for his starting forwards.
Analysis / 6d ago
Walker Kessler Won't Shoot 12-for-12 Again. The Dunks Are Real
Kessler went 12 of 12 for 26 points in his Lakers debut. A 66% shooter does that about once in 140 tries. The 10 dunks are the part worth planning around.
Analysis / Oct 20, 2026
Austin Reaves Should Lead the Lakers One Conversation at a Time
Reaves prefers talking to teammates individually. I like that approach, provided the conversations produce clearer decisions on the floor and include Luka Doncic.
Analysis / Oct 20, 2026
Cameron Carr Should Earn His Lakers Minutes Without the Ball
Carr's Baylor shooting gives the Lakers a useful place to start. Give him a narrow wing role beside a creator, then make him earn more responsibility.
Analysis / Oct 20, 2026
Luka Doncic Should Make the Warriors Defend the Paint First
Doncic's two-point shooting and trips to the line give the Lakers a better opening-night starting point than a contest of difficult threes.
Analysis / Oct 19, 2026
Cap Luka Doncic at 34 Minutes. The Lakers' Season Depends on April
Doncic played 38 or more minutes in 27 of his 64 games last season, then went down in a 96-139 loss at Oklahoma City on April 2 and missed the entire playoffs. I would take a few lost regular-season wins over that.
Analysis / Oct 18, 2026
Don't Waive Dalton Knecht: Trade Him for Whatever the Lakers Can Get
Knecht made 37.6% of his threes as a rookie and played 10.2 minutes a game last season. His preseason (3-of-12 from the field) is a bad reason to give a 25-year-old first-round pick away for nothing.
Analysis / Oct 16, 2026
Matisse Thybulle Is the Lakers' Wing Stopper, If He Stays Healthy
Thybulle's steal rate last season was two and a half times Marcus Smart's, and he made 41.1% of his threes over the past two seasons. He also played only 45 games in those two years.
Analysis / Oct 14, 2026
Keep Bronny James as the Lakers' 15th Man, Despite the Turnovers
Bronny has 11 points and 12 turnovers in four preseason games. Last season he turned it over 25 times in 375 minutes. The sample is bad, and it is also 70 minutes.
Analysis / Oct 13, 2026
Jake LaRavia's Three-Point Shot Is the Lakers' Quiet Swing Factor
LaRavia shot 35.3% from three over his first 39 games last season and 27.9% over the last 43. He is 6-of-11 this preseason, and the more telling number is how often he shoots.
Analysis / Oct 12, 2026
Reaves Blames Himself and Luka for the Turnovers. The Rest Owns More
Doncic and Reaves committed 13 of the Lakers' 67 preseason turnovers in about 9% of the minutes. That is a bad rate, but the other 54 came from everyone else, including a night they both sat.
Analysis / Oct 10, 2026
Collin Sexton Should Lead the Lakers' Bench Unit, and Play 25 Minutes
Sexton shot 40.1% from three and .615 true shooting for Charlotte and Chicago last season. Grimes and Bronny James are well behind him, and Redick says he is dealing with a lower leg injury.
Analysis / Oct 9, 2026
Kevon Looney, Not Mamukelashvili, Should Back Up Walker Kessler
Walker Kessler grabbed 21.9% of the available rebounds when he was on the floor in Utah. Kevon Looney's rate is within two points of that. Sandro Mamukelashvili's is 12.8%.
Analysis / Oct 8, 2026
The Lakers Replaced LeBron's Shooting. Nobody Replaced His Passing
LeBron James took 1,989 minutes, about 13% of the points and one in five of the assists with him to Philadelphia. The new shooters help the spacing. The playmaking hole is the one still open.
Analysis / Oct 7, 2026
Redick Called the Lakers' Loss Unacceptable. Don't Panic Yet
Without Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, the Lakers lost 124-98 in San Francisco. JJ Redick was right to be angry, but the game was an audition for the last rotation spots.
