Lakers to Take On Clippers As the Smoke Clears

After the weekend’s blockbuster trade which saw the Lakers acquire superstar Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis and Max Christie, the Lakers now enter a new era starting tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers – sort of. Dončić and Maxi Kleber (who was also acquired in the trade) are both out, though Dončić is set to return from a calf strain in the near future, maybe as early as this weekend. Kleber is set to be out for a while with a foot injury.

Defense

Before the shocking trade on Saturday night the Lakers got a huge win in New York without Anthony Davis, and their defense was the catalyst for their victory. Their perimeter defense, primarily Max Christie, did a phenomenal job limiting Jalen Brunson. They will need to find solutions on how to fill in the gaps defensively that will be left due to Christie and Davis no longer being on the roster. Maybe the Lakers can find the personnel to make up for some of the loss defensively on the trade market before Thursday’s deadline.

Adjustments

Although Luka won’t be available for a few more games, the Laker players in the rotation will have to adjust to their new role when he returns, the biggest example likely being Austin Reaves. Since the Dorian Finney-Smith trade, Reaves has become the secondary playmaker behind LeBron James, but will now have to adjust to playing off ball once more due to the arrival of Dončić. It might be that the Lakers adjust the starting lineup to add some more defense, but more will be clarified once the trade deadline passes and Dončić makes his highly anticipated debut. Tip off is at 7PM PST.