YES!!!
That was what I’ve been looking for! We came out with some playoff intensity from the tipoff and the Suns weren’t ready for it. That type of defensive effort will win alotta games even when the 3’s ain’t dropping. Finally took down a team with an elite guard..holding Book to a pretty pedestrian game by his high standards.

This Pels game will be interesting. Saw them for the 1st time Monday and came away impressed. Went into that SacTown craziness and pulled out the win with some high-energy defense and a super aggressive Brandon Igram. We’re slightly favored and it could be a close one. Lebron wants this; as his 40 minute performance proved on Tues….and that’s always gonna be hard to beat.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has been dealing with left knee effusion, forcing him to miss all but the first four games of the regular season.
He was supposed to be re-evaluated this week and although that hasn’t happened yet, Darvin Ham provided a positive update on Vincent before Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets.

“He’s progressing along. Not as of yet, but he’s progressing really, really good,” Ham said.

Ham would also go on to reveal what Vincent has been able to do so far in his rehab.

“He’s been running on an [anti-gravity treadmill]. He’s doing some just conditioning, obviously in that regard, some normal weight-lifting stuff, shooting shots. But that’s it.”

This is good news for the Lakers, who have been extremely shorthanded through the first quarter of the regular season. Even though Vincent is progressing though, it likely will still be some time before he is able to return as the organization will want to ensure he’s 100% healthy to not risk further injury.

Vincent was the Lakers’ big signing of the offseason, using their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to pry him away from the Miami Heat to replace Dennis Schroder as their lead guard off the bench.

So far though, the Lakers have not been able to reap the benefits of that signing as Vincent missed time in the preseason with lower back soreness. After playing in the first four games of the regular season, Vincent went down with the knee issue and has been out ever since.

In addition to Vincent, the Lakers have also been without key pieces like Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Cam Reddish for long stretches so far this season. Because of that, LeBron James recently admitted that he has no clue who the Lakers are as a team yet despite being 11-9 through their first 20 games. Those three were all able to return on Saturday though, which was good to see.

In Vincent’s absence, guys like D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Max Christie have picked up the slack at the guard position with rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino even getting some time lately. What the Lakers have been missing though is a point of attack defender that can knock down timely shots, which is exactly what Vincent was signed to provide.

A lot of fans have been frustrated with how long it is taking injured players like Vincent to get back, especially when the team loses games they are capable of winning.

Ham recently emphasized that they will not rush back any players though, sticking with the process they have in place of ensuring guys are fully healthy to not risk more injuries down the line.

We’ve been remarkably consistent at winning these games we’re supposed to win. HOU still winless on the road for the season. Not a whole lot to say about this one..we took care of business, HOU plays a very lazy & sloppy brand of basketball, and it was good to see Vando out there finally. 2 days of rest then we see Book with the Suns for the 1st time. Should be fun..

Had to know this was gonna be a loss once the injury report came out. 8 man rotation and 2 or 3 of em wouldn’t even be on the court with a full roster available. But why bring back Cam against the lowly Pistons instead of OKC?

As for the overall picture…at the quarter pole of the season our top 4 players have only missed 2 games total. I think most of us would’ve taken that when the season began.

We really need either Gabe or Vando back to slow down these elite guards; we haven’t beaten a single one yet. Maybe you can count Spida & the Cavs but he was coming back from a hammy and wore down after a quick start..then Garland left early as well. Not sure if Zack would be an improvement but that’s where good teams are killing us.

Cam Reddish has been downgraded to out for tonight’s game.

The Lakers are significantly shorthanded against a big Cavs team, also missing Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 25, 2023

Young team with the infamous Friday & Saturday nights in L.A. If you’re trying to tell me that AD needs help against Sengun then I just don’t know what to say..smdh. Put these dudes back in their place!

Lebron got hurt, missed a game, came back, and hasn’t said another mumblin word about it.

This dude got hurt, missed a game, came back, but 5-6 games later he’s STILL flappin his gums about it!!!

Shut da fuqq up man!!!

lol

BackCourt needs help….

That was a good win against a team we’re supposed to beat if we consider ourselves to be contenders. Not one of my coveted “Steel On Steel” matchups but the kind we need to stack up & put in the bank.

D.Ham is doing exactly what he’s supposed to do, working thru his player combos, and seeing what works. Wood got 27 minutes which is about his limit; he was kinda gassed at the end..not sure how that changes if he starts. Gotta get those minutes sorted out along with AD & Lebron’s so they can close out games..that matters more than starting.

The most interesting development was both Reaves and Gabe getting benched down the stretch with D.Russell being the only true guard on the floor. That ain’t sustainable and those dudes need to be playing much better.

We should finally be able to beat the Clipps after overhauling their roster last night and coming off a back-to-back. Not even sure who they have available but they traded away alotta solid veteran leadership to get Harden…high risk move but that window is closing fast with that new arena to fill up next year.

As always, this will be an ongoing concern all year…especially if you’re trying to keep a cap on his minutes. Can’t watch games slip away due to load management and the new “face of the franchise” ain’t up to the task.

It's been a STRUGGLE for the Lakers without LeBron on the floor 😧 pic.twitter.com/4d8lpYMuB3

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) October 28, 2023

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvYMr2ay4aQ/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ==

Lakers News: Multiple New LA Signings Participate in Group Workout at Training Headquarters
That offseason work!

Something that made the Los Angeles Lakers so special in the second half of last season was how they were able to come together on the fly and make the adjustments needed to play must-win basketball for months on end. The pressure was real as no playoff appearance was guaranteed and as Austin Reaves said recently on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, they had to use any downtime to get to know each other including plane rides and locker room huddles.

However, the summer is now here and they have plenty of time to get ready for the new year even before training camp kicks off. On top of the most important contributors running it back for another campaign together, LA will always be welcoming in some new veterans and young faces thanks to a busy free agency and NBA Draft period.

And never fear Lakers fans, it looks like the newest faces are already getting acclimated with one another and getting workouts in together at the infamous El Segundo training facility. LA shared some exclusive images on their Instagram account showcasing their offseason activities.

The likes of Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and Maxwell Lewis were all present as they get ready for this new chapter of their career. All of these guys will have to work for their minutes seeing that they haven’t proven much yet in their short careers and will have to make way into LA’s depth chart.

Due to the Lakers not signing a new big man just yet, Jaxson Hayes will likely have the biggest role off the jump out of all of these guys and it’s been reported that the Lakers are hopeful that he can start next to Anthony Davis at some point.

Cam Reddish has potential to be a great three and D wing but he’s been inconsistent on all three of his NBA squads thus far and he’ll have to prove why he should get minutes over Max Christie.

Fino and Lewis both are the rookies and the new guys in town so they’ll have to get in as much work as possible. LA’s point guard slots are set with D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent but Fino may get some run at some point. It will be much harder for Lewis due to all of LA’s wing depth.

Nonetheless, they are all taking the first steps we want to see