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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – LeBron James will make his Staples Center debut as a Los Angeles Laker on Tuesday, but Lonzo Ball will continue to hold on.
After making his preseason debut for the Lakers Sunday against the Nuggets in San Diego, James will play with a limited number of minutes, likely in the same range as the 15 he's recorded in his first match, when He will face Tuesday's Denver again.
Ball, however, will miss his second consecutive preseason game, as the Lakers continue to release the playmaker after knee surgery during the off-season. Striker Michael Beasley is expected to be available after being allowed to exercise following a precautionary MRI that has proved negative. Beasley suffered a laceration to the head during the 124-107 defeat at the hands of the Nuggets, but did not show any symptoms of concussion, according to the team.
While Ball participated in contact training and, surprisingly, he seemed better than expected after his long layoff, according to head coach Luke Walton and James, the Lakers are sticking to their plan to be cautious in their second year perspective.
"I'm just doing more than that, I'm comfortable with that," said Walton to the question of what was the difference between throwing a ball in practice and being able to play in a preparatory game. "It's a four-to-four environment, it's a controlled environment. It is his body that passes through these representatives more and more.
"And you can do it all day [but] There is nothing like playing in these NBA games in terms of the difficulty of the competition and the cuts and the way you get touched screens. Just because he's been away for so long, we're just trying to be patient with that. "
Walton will continue to tinker with a variety of queues as he did on Sunday while he seeks to establish a rotation and chemistry of the team. Sometimes, during the preparatory game, the Lakers played with a frantic pace, seeking to push the ball aggressively.
Walton said that he would use the depth of the Lakers and that the rotation could be different for players from night to night, including small ball variations.
"We're going to play fast, so we're going to get the guys in and out," Walton said to the question of which center JaVale McGee's minutes might look like this season. "We want to use our depth to our advantage and arrive in waves – it will be different for most players from one night to the next."
"Obviously we're trying not to play 11 or 12 in the same game," Walton added, explaining the depth of his rotation. "We will do games because we are looking for something we do not have for some reason, and in the NBA season there will be injuries, we will feel confident when such events happen." been in the rotation will be able to help us play and compete and win ball games. "
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