EL SEGUNDO — The Lakers know the challenges they faced in their season opener on Tuesday, a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, won’t be the same ones they’ll face with most opponents.
The Warriors, led by two-time league MVP Steph Curry, bend and contort defenses in ways that most other teams aren’t equipped to.
It’s part of the reason why the Lakers left Wednesday afternoon’s film session more encouraged than discouraged, with Coach JJ Redick saying he felt the intention with Tuesday’s game plan was “really good” even if the execution wasn’t.
Yes, the film showed the Lakers losing track of the Warriors’ “lasers” – a term Redick uses to describe perimeter shooting threats – in transition multiple times. Most notably, Buddy Hield, a career 39.7% 3-point shooter, twice in the second half, and Curry once in the first half.
But the film also showed the Lakers not being crisp with their defensive shifts and rotations. Not being physical enough defensively. Or sprinting back in transition like they need to.
The encouraging part for the Lakers was that all of those things are under their control and will be relevant regardless of who their opponent is.
“It’s a couple [of] things that we can clean up on that could easily change the way the game,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said on Wednesday. “Things that are controllable. Just trying to put a game plan together for 48 minutes. But some of those things are just super minimal that could change the outcome of a game.”
Guard Gabe Vincent agreed with Vanderbilt.
“There were some glaring things that we can work on, which in some ways is encouraging,” Vincent said. “You find things that end up being 12, 14 points and it’s like, ‘Oh, if we can clean that up, it’s a different conversation. That game looks a lot different.’ So, some revelations we found. Some things that we can clean up. But, Game 1 of 82, we just got to be better each game.”
Redick said that he and the coaching staff, as well as the returning players, need to reinforce what the team’s shifts, closeouts and defensive presentations are supposed to look like for the new players after that was an area of improvement from Tuesday.
“Saw it on film – it wasn’t good,” Redick said. “So that stuff is really controllable. I did a 10-minute teach/talk and we drilled it. Just, the shift and close-out clarity is going to be helpful for us going forward. Sometimes, as a coach, you say things and you drill things, but you realize then that if it’s not showing up in a game, then it’s not clear. We’ve just got to continue to reinforce things on a clear basis.”
Redick mentioned that LeBron James, the star forward who will continue to be sidelined for at least another couple of weeks because of sciatica in his right side, was “really helpful” during the film session.
“Him asking questions, him giving his input, us having a back-and-forth is so healthy,” Redick said. “I would like to have dialogue and back-and-forth and questions every single time we do film and teach. You got a question, speak up. If you want to make a point, speak up. It was good.”
DONCIC UPDATE
Star guard Luka Doncic, who played a game-high 41 minutes, was seen holding his groin/hip multiple times during the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game, but he said the issue was “probably nothing.”
Redick confirmed Doncic’s sentiments.
“He seems to be doing fine,” Redick said. “I don’t think it’s anything major. He got some treatment [Wednesday] morning. We didn’t practice long, but he was a participant in practice.”
Doncic’s 43 points on Tuesday are the second-most by a Laker in a season opener behind late franchise icon Kobe Bryant’s record of 45 in 2007.