Pundit Appraises Performances Of New Lakers Against Warriors

The Lakers preseason opener on Saturday evening against the Golden State Warriors was the first real chance for the team to be together and show what they have been working on all offseason. Neither LeBron James nor Austin Reaves suited up for the game, so they didn’t have their full unit, but there were positives to take away from the game.

LA brought back most of the core from the team that went to the Western Conference Finals a season ago, but they also added in some new pieces to upgrade the roster. Those new pieces were on full display against Golden State, and there were some mixed reviews of how they performed.

Point Gabe Vincent and center Jaxson Hayes showed out in their Lakers debut, but others struggled. Taurean Prince, Christian Wood and Cam Reddish all had tough preseason openers, but this is the time to work through things for everyone. It’s better to have the struggles now before the real games begin.

Star Anthony Davis gave some thoughts on his new teammate Hayes, and provided what he thinks he will bring to the team this season, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“That’s what he brings to our team, protecting the rim, the ability to be a lob threat,” Davis said of Hayes. “Throw it up there and he can go get it. Finish around the rim, set good screens, that’s what we’re going to need from him. His ability to catch lobs, you know, he attracts a lot of eyes. Now, without him knowing it, he’s making a play for someone else even though he’s not getting the ball."

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic

One of the more disappointing debuts for this team came from Wood, who just signed on with LA a few weeks ago. Buha offered his thoughts on the performance of the newest Laker.

“Wood’s length is a factor defensively — he had a steal and a block — but there were possessions in which he seemed completely lost defensively. He also missed six of his eight shots and appeared rather slow and out of game shape.”

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic

Things will likely even out for everyone, but it was a good first start for the new guys. They are still trying to get comfortable with the new system, and this is only the beginning of the final form of this team.

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