Lakers vs Jazz - 10/25 7:00 PM

[Father Time]

Jordan ethered Gobert with that move.

[crazyeights]

That's two moves this game with footwork I've never seen from Hill. Hope to see that more of that!

[Father Time]

Johnson bringing the pain!

[Tee212]

hey...hill touched the ball after the make...tfoul! lol

[Tee212]

dam this gobert guy has a nice attitude around the rim...something ab didnt have his first few seasons.

[Kobean]

hey...hill touched the ball after the make...tfoul! lol

.....um.....shh

[KB24TBOTB]

Farmar has been stellar in the preseason

[Tee212]

well its pretty clear landry is cut..ill have to unfollow him on ig now haha

[Tee212]

henry reminds me of pargo...those guys you let go and they come off another teams bench and burn you for 25

[Kobean]

I think it's safe to say our bench will be a lot better than everyone predicted.

[EArl]

Glad they won. Sad that I couldn't watch the game.

[crazyeights]

I think it's safe to say our bench will be a lot better than everyone predicted.

But will our starters be worse than advertised. That's the question. (I'm looking at you Nash, Pau, Kob.)

[Tee212]

I would cry if farmar can be a jared jack for us.

[KB24TBOTB]

For a change our bench looks real good!

[moonpie]

Letter grades for tonight:

Nash: B/B+
Blake: A
Gasol: A-
Williams: B
Young: A

Farmar: A
Hill: A
Meeks: C-
Henry: A
Johnson: A-

Even after 8 games...I'm honestly not sure what our rotation will be. It could vary game in and game out depending on the match up but I don't know if that's the best thing in terms of building an identity for both units. The Kaman/Pau combo worked better than expected, yet Williams provides a nice floor spacer for Nash/Pau/Kobe. I initially wanted Young off the bench as a spark plug but Farmar and Henry have been very pleasant surprises in terms of their ability to create their own shots and get to the hole. Curious to see how Kobe and Young would play off each other, it would definitely be tough for defenses to have to guard two excellent shot creators.

We'll likely protect Nash on back to backs and such so Blake will definitely see minutes at both guard spots. Johnson can play anywhere from 2-4, but I think MDA likes him in that Marion-type role with that second unit. Just a lot of versatility and interchangeable parts with this roster and that's a good thing!

Another thing that intrigues me is the day and night differences in playing styles between the two units. It reminds me of when Phil was here back in our championship run. The starting unit would play in the halfcourt with the triangle while the second unit would up the tempo. This team seems to have that dimension to it. At the very least, legs will be fresh throughout the season with such depth. MDA wanted an 11-man rotation so this is what I think it will look like.

Regular Rotation:
-Nash
-Kobe
-Pau
-Young
-Kaman
-Johnson
-Farmar
-Blake
-Henry
-Hill
-Williams

Meeks will be the 12th man, in for spot minutes as a pesky defender, 3 point shooter. Running him for long stretches would be very bad, however.

The last 3 spots will go to Harris, Kelly, and Sacre, all of whom will spend a lot of time with the D-Fenders I suspect. Luckily, even if we have some injury issues, they can all still contribute in their own ways if it ever comes down to that (and let's hope it doesn't!)

All in all a solid preseason for the Lakers, and I'm definitely excited about this upcoming, Coward-free season!

[ArC_man]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan/status/393961951954345986[/tweet]
Bye Landry, good luck!

[moonpie]

As expected, Landry was waived (reported via TWC Sportsnet) postgame show.

[Tee212]

ya i agree moonpie, as of right now we have 2 identities with the inside out pick n roll starters and the uptempo bench. its goona be interesting to see how the mix of players play off each other with playing style. i love how henry can create for himself or get to the line at will. its day and night dif with last year and this years bench already.

its pretty sad how we have to delicately monitor nashs minutes or he will break down on the road lol...btw nash dont get enough credit on his cute sized screens. forgot we still have kaman this game lol