While the Lakers’ anticipated dress rehearsal in Thursday’s preseason victory over the Phoenix Suns didn’t go as expected, the way Friday’s 132-74 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the preseason finale for both teams wasn’t surprising.
The Lakers sat most of their rotation players at the Chase Center in San Francisco, giving them a break ahead of Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena and allowing their end-of-the-roster players to play extended minutes.
Quincy Olivari, an Exhibit-10 contract signee who already had a breakout game during the preseason, and the oft-scrutinized Bronny James took advantage of the opportunities.
Olivari led the Lakers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting (5 for 9 from 3-point range) to go with six rebounds in 39 minutes.
An undrafted 6-foot-3 guard out of Xavier, Olivari already displayed his 3-point shooting and tenacity in an Oct. 10 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
But he showcased more self-creation against a Warriors team that played most of its normal rotation save for star guard Steph Curry.
Olivari’s NBA future is uncertain after Friday.
It’s customary for Exhibit 10 signees – essentially a training camp/preseason contract – to sign with the franchise’s G League affiliate after being waived before the regular season starts. Players receive a significant bonus on top of their G League salary if they remain with the G League affiliate for at least 60 days. But Olivari showcased enough that he could at least deserve a two-way contract and an opportunity to play more regularly in the NBA.
James, the Lakers’ second-round draft pick out of USC and the son of star forward LeBron James, had his best preseason game after struggling in the earlier exhibitions, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting, four rebounds and three steals.
The younger James went into Friday’s game having scored just eight points on 4-of-20 shooting, including an 0-for-7 showing from behind the arc, in the first five preseason games.
The Lakers finished the preseason 2-4.
Every member of their normal starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out against the Warriors.
“I was not going to play the starters [on Friday] in any capacity,” first-year Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game.
First-round pick Dalton Knecht, who scored 35 points in the overtime win against the Suns, also didn’t play after banging his knee in that game. Rotation players Gabe Vincent and Max Christie didn’t play, either.
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James, who is entering his 22nd NBA season and will turn 40 in December, didn’t play against the Suns either, giving him a full week of rest from gameplay before the season opener.
Hachimura sat out the last two preseason games because of lingering calf tightness, but Redick believes the forward should be available against the Timberwolves.
“I have no reason to believe he’s not,” Redick responded when asked if Hachimura will be available on Tuesday night. “But again, we’ll have medical updates on all our players that need medical updates day-to-day.”
Redick also said on Thursday that forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who had surgery on both of his feet in May, will be re-evaluated in about two weeks, meaning he’ll miss the start of the season after there was initial optimism he would be available.
The Warriors, led by Jonathan Kuminga’s 17 points, finished the preseason 6-0.
Lakers rookie Bronny James, right, is fouled by the Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins during the first half of their preseason game on Friday night in San Francisco. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)