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LeBron James made his Lakers debut on Thursday after a 128 to 119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. There were many things to love in the way of playing Lakers, but there were also reasons for concern. Here are five takeaways.
How long until LeBron gets more control?
The King scored 13 points on 5 out of 6 shots in his first quarter with the Lakers, who, along with Rajon Rondo at the front of the pack, were playing as though they had been fired from a cannon. As the game progressed, LeBron began to control his possessions a little more, but he was clearly in "engage everyone" mode for most of the night, doing a good deal of his damage in the holes – he scored on a pretty cut. at the starting line of a rondo, and he had some offensive defeats (he had only 34 of last year). The 13 points represent a career record for LeBron's first quarter, if you can believe that.
In total, LeBron scored 26 points, 12 boards and six assists in 38 minutes. It was an easy line. LeBron allowed Rondo to control much of the midfield offense. Rondo was really good with 13 points and 11 assists as a plus-11 in 32 minutes. That was a big story, LeBron played more often offside, and he certainly did a little more of that in the opening game we saw in the past. He found Brandon Ingram on a pretty high-low collar. He created the corner 3 for Ingram, with a split split with Rondo in the center. He ran the wing on breaks rather than taking the exit and pushing the ball himself.
There were good things to be learned from this, namely that six Lakers scored 13 points or more. Ingram was friendly in the third quarter after struggling a bit in the first period. he could have the biggest fit of any Laker playing more without the ball. Josh Hart was off with 20 points. In the second half, he finished a very nice move for which he refused LeBron's sieve and headed to the left. He passed 3 out of 5 from three. Kyle Kuzma was aggressive all night and finished with 15 points.
Yet the Lakers have lost. LeBron never went into this mode "I'm going to move on", and at one point, he may well have to do it more often. When will this point? How is it going to happen? It's a difficult situation because in the West, LeBron can not do it alone. In the east, it was good. But in the West, he needs these guys to be really good at his side. In many ways, they were Thursday. In a major way, they were not there. Which brings us to …
It turns out that shooting is a big deal
This has been a concern for the Lakers since they started putting up this very strange list with the signatures of Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee: Who will make plans? Especially at 3 points? Thursday, the Lakers shot 7 times out of 30 of the deepest. It's 23%. The Blazers achieved 13 3 with a score of 35%. For all intents and purposes, it was the difference.
We all know that LeBron has always operated with the greatest success in a set consisting mainly of four, including his last relay with Cleveland, with shooters all around him to space the ground and clear the way for his demolition bullets . Ingram is installed very early in the corner as an unbeatable player and missed two openings of 3; he went 0-in-4 deep for the game. Kuzma went 1-for-7. Lonzo Ball was 1-in-4. Stephenson was 0-in-3. LeBron, for one, also took a donut at the bottom of four attempts.
In simple terms, if you can not do 3s, or guard against the 3s at the other end, you are in a world in distress. There are things that can be adjusted to become a better defensive team against the 3, but the reversed shooters will not just appear suddenly on the Lakers list. Fans of the Lakers can hope that Kuzma will have a hot year (he is able) and that it is Ingram or Ball, in a kind of alternative role. These things are not completely unreasonable, but they are not reliable developments either. We will see.
We could have a Lonzo problem
For the moment, Ball has lost his work as a beginner to Rondo, and if we believe the night of Thursday, he will not find him any time soon. Once again, Rondo was really good and Lonzo was about the exact opposite: he scored seven points and a two-out shots help for a team low minus 15 in 19 minutes. Yuck.
We've talked a lot about how Lonzo is actually a very good off-ball player, but I've never bought it and I still have not done it. This is not a good shooter, clear and simple. He is TOO willing to accept a smuggler in the half court, often getting rid of the balloon like a hot potato. If the Lakers continue to play very fast and can create a semi-field attack based on the ball and the player's movement, in which cuts and screening actions are systematically performed, Ball has a natural sense of this type of action. 39; inclusivity. But everything is based on his energy and, in simple terms, he was just acting on Thursday. If you give up the ball and stay still, and you can not shoot at a level that scares the defenses in the least, you are a non-factor.
It was Lonzo Thursday night. A complete non-factor and total. There is a real booty that comes with starting a basketball game. This is true at all levels, from college. It's a thing of pride. A thing of confidence. For a young player, it's easy to see that getting out of the bench is a demotion rather than an opportunity to influence the game differently – for example, the way Andre Iguodala views his role in Golden State. That's some veteran stuff. For young people, it can be difficult to assert when one has just been demoted. Lonzo, who has never really been so firm at first, should better understand how to do that, otherwise it would be better for him to get used to being a replacement.
A little love for blazers
Every year, the Blazers are interviewed. Every year they are good. Here's the deal: No team with Damian Lillard will ever be a bad team. I am convinced of this and this for a long time. Lillard scored 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. He made up for a difficult shooting night by scoring 8-for-8 on the free throw line. That's what the stars do and Lillard is a cold star like stone. Should be in the conversation MVP every year. Do not let anyone tell you differently. Just watch how he responds to LeBron's huge dunk with one of his own.
I spoke to Terry Stotts this summer and he said that one of the Blazers' main goals this year would be the 3-point line – both shot more than the year before. last and have defended it on the other end. As noted above, they put an end to the Lakers' 3-point attack and scored 13 from the depth – largely thanks to the surprise performance of the season's opening opener. Nik Stauskas, who scored 5 to 8 on a depth of 24 for bench tip. CJ McCollum finished with 21 points on 3 out of 6 in depth. The Portland bench was great as a group.
Stotts also said that he wanted his team to create more attack via pass this year rather than isolating as much. That can still improve – they had only 21 assists on Thursday. But listen, to a certain extent, you ride the horses you have, and Lillard and McCollum are the horses. Why people are always afraid to bet on them exceeds me.
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