Starting this week I will do a weekly report on the Los Angeles Lakers. This will include what happens during their span of play from Monday through Sunday of the previous week, key takeaways, and any injuries to report.
This marks the first full week of Lakers basketball. The Lakers went 2-2 during this span with wins against the Clippers and the Raptors, and two losses against the Warriors and Trail Blazers.
Lakers Weekly Report: Three Key Takeaways
1. This is the Year Luka Doncic Can Finally Win His First MVP
Luka Doncic has gotten off to an exceptional start. The Slovenian native is averaging 37.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. He is currently leading the league in points and he is also currently shooting a career-high 43.2% from three. Doncic seems to be much improved on the defensive end as well, increasing his productivity in the form of steals and blocks.
The ninth-year veteran is averaging 1.8 steals and 0.83 blocks per game. In the Lakers’ win Sunday night against the Raptors, Doncic recorded five steals, one block, and three drawn charges. Doncic understands he is not a top-tier defender in the league by any measure, but he is satisfied and believes improvement has been made so far this year.
“Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year, I really took a step forward.” Doncic said.
It is also very apparent that Doncic has lost a significant amount of weight since he first joined LA in 2024. If Doncic continues to score consistently, continues his impact on the defensive end, and stays healthy, the MVP is very much a realistic achievement.
2. Free Agent Signings Making an Impact
Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka did a very nice job of bringing in core players to help his superstar point guard. Though it was not through free agency, his best acquisition by far has been trading for Walker Kessler. The former Jazz center is averaging near a double-double, recording 14.3 points per game as well as 9.9 rebounds. He is also shooting a career-high 75.4% from the field
Kessler has also been the athletic big that the Lakers have been lacking on the defensive end for the last few years. The fourth-year center is averaging nearly three blocks a game and has a defensive rating of 109.2.
In terms of free agency, everyone is getting accustomed to their role and doing their job for the most part. The two Lakers that have stood out the most so far have been power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili and guard Collin Sexton.
For “Mamu” as he’s known, he provides solid ball-handling skills and can really space the floor. His ability to knock down threes also brings another factor that the Lakers at times were missing last season. As for Sexton, he has been another solid player off the bench for the Lakers averaging over 10 points a game, and also provides great energy on the court with a good motor. Every team needs a deep bench to truly be successful in the NBA, and the Lakers bench looks solid early on.
3. Closing out Games
As good as LA has been through seven games, the biggest concern that has come up multiple times is closing out the game. In their win against the Clippers on Oct. 23, the Lakers had the game pretty much handled, but they let the Clippers go on a 6-0 run to close out the game; fortunately, the Lakers held on to win.
Then on Sunday night the Lakers had a 14-point lead with a few minutes remaining and they decided to give the reserves a chance to get some runs. However, the Raptors were able to cut that lead to seven, forcing coach JJ Redick to get the starters back in.
As much as Redick wants to see those who don’t get minutes get some action he won’t make the mistake of taking his starters out too early.
“I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll leave the guys in.” Redick said. “You gotta play to the final buzzer.”
The NBA is a game full of runs. Most of the time teams aren’t just going to go away; it’s important to play until the end and keep your foot on the gas pedal.
Injury Report
The Lakers will be nearly at full strength as Zaire Williams will be back on Monday against the Miami Heat after missing the last three with a left foot injury. The only Laker that remains injured is second-year forward Adou Thiero who is dealing with a left knee injury and has yet to play this season
What’s Next?
The Lakers will be back at home on Monday against the Heat on a second night of a back-to-back. Then, they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings on Wednesday and are back home against the Trail Blazers on Friday.
To end the week, the Lakers travel to Detroit to face the Pistons, the first of a four-game road trip for LA.
Final Reflection
It’s early so it is not fair to read too much into everything. For the most part, the Lakers are playing good basketball with a few things to clean up. Where would you rank the Lakers in your personal power rankings so far this season?
Main Image: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
