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Iztok Franco: Lakers Game Observations: Game 15 vs Jazz

by November 19, 2025 6 Comments

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  1. FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

    This week was all about LeBron James’ return, and it couldn’t have gone any better for the Lakers.

    James made his season debut and immediately put his stamp on a decisive 140–126 win over the Utah Jazz. It’s a week full of positives in Los Angeles: LeBron is back, the Lakers finally have a fully healthy roster with real practice time ahead, and they’ve now won three straight to improve to 11–4.

    The two-game mini-series against the Jazz, a lower-tier opponent but not a true cellar dweller, is the right opponent for JJ Redick and the Lakers to reintegrate James and establish a new rotation hierarchy. And in the first half of that task, they did exactly that.
    …

  2. More from Iztok:

    1-LeBron back, fitting in seamlessly (🎞️VIDEO)

    LeBron James is a basketball supercomputer who processes everything on and off the court. In his first game back, you could tell he was fully aware of the questions about whether his return might disrupt the Lakers’ good vibes and flow. So he made sure to set the tone with the ultimate fit-in game.

    James played almost 30 minutes in his return but took only seven shots, waiting patiently for his on-ball turns and making his biggest imprint with his passing and unselfish play. He finished with just 11 points, but added 12 assists and only one turnover.

    Like it often did last season after the trade, his turn to take over came at the start of the fourth quarter with Luka Dončić on the bench. The Lakers have struggled in these stints at times this season, so seeing James shred the Jazz with his passing (half of his 12 assists came in this short stretch) and essentially seal the win was a reminder of the impact that comes from adding another elite playmaker to the rotation.

  3. More from Iztok:

    2-Another manipulator, another advantage creator, another pressure point

    In my notes after the Hornets game, I wrote that the offense looked casual but the results were awesome. This was another example of how high the offensive ceiling is for the Lakers. It was by no means a perfect game. Dončić had eight uncharacteristic turnovers and missed eight of his ten three-point attempts, and the Lakers collectively shot only 34 percent from three. But they still scored at an absurd rate of 138 points per 100 possessions.

    I’ll go into more technical details on that outcome in one of the next points, but the big-picture takeaway from this game was how adding a third elite manipulator on the floor basically eliminates the stretches where creating advantages becomes a struggle (something Mavs fans know very well at the moment).

    Redick kept experimenting with different pressure points: Dončić and LeBron in the post, empty-side pick actions that created a wing isolation against a smaller defender, and all three ball-handlers running pick-and-roll. It was constant pressure on the Jazz defense, with no real letdown during the rest periods for one or even two of them. Dončić had a relatively casual game by his standards, but he took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 points and putting the Lakers up by 11 after they had trailed for most of an uninspiring first half. James then finished the job by taking over in the fourth. Reaves filled the gap all night with what is now almost a given 26 points. The same goes for Ayton’s 20/10 nights now. The big man finished with 20 and 14 at elite efficiency.

  4. More from Iztok:

    3-New starting five and a new rotation hierarchy 📊

    The key question I raised in my preview was whether Redick might surprise everyone and start Marcus Smart or someone else over Rui Hachimura. In the end, predictably there was no surprise. Redick stuck with the starting five we saw last season, only with Ayton in Jaxson Hayes’ place. The starting five didn’t eliminate the defensive and energy deficit concerns. The Lakers started the game slowly and didn’t look great in either of the opening stints to start the two halves.

    In addition to James, Gabe Vincent was back as well, and a fully healthy rotation brought some clear cascading effects. Hachimura, Smart, and LaRavia, all of whom played extended minutes early in the season, saw their minutes reduced. And Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Maxi Kleber fell out of the rotation.

    This game was a clear indication of the nine-man rotation Redick trusts at the moment. A healthy, deeper roster is certainly a luxury he did not have last season, but it also means a lack of playing time for certain players.

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