Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Hosts Nick Angstadt (Locked On Mavs), Joe Mullinax (Locked On Grizzlies), Rylan Stiles (Locked On Thunder), Ben Beecken (Locked On Wolves), Matt Moore (Locked On Nuggets), Jackson Gatlin (Locked On Rockets), Ben Garcia (Locked On Suns), and David Locke (Locked On Jazz) break down whether the Oklahoma City Thunder can repeat atop the West without relying on injuries, focusing on the crucial offensive growth of Chet Holmgren and half-court improvements. The group debates Denver Nuggets’ chances to dethrone OKC, emphasizing their improved depth behind Nikola Jokic. Minnesota Timberwolves' and Houston Rockets' paths to contention depend on leaps from Anthony Edwards and young guards like Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham. The hosts analyze the importance of Western Conference team depth, highlighting how the Clippers, Warriors, and Mavericks stack up with 240 minutes of viable contributors. Kevin Durant's role with the Rockets is discussed, along with concerns about veteran stars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic handling a full postseason run. The segment wraps with spirited takes on which teams have the roster construction, internal development, and playoff resilience to contend in an increasingly deep Western Conference.

0:00 OKC Thunder's Repeat Chances
7:33 Denver Nuggets vs. Thunder: Biggest Threat?
17:11 Veteran Teams Longevity: Clippers, Warriors, Lakers
22:45 Mavericks: Depth, Luka, & Contender Analysis
33:06 Western Conference Standings Predictions
39:02 Lakers Identity, LeBron "Pouting," & Rebuild
44:37 Can Luka Break OKC's Defense?
49:50 Victor Wembanyama Hype vs. Reality
54:10 Grizzlies, Pelicans & Spurs: Best of the Rest

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Luka Dončić looks ready for the season to start, dropping 31 points, five rebounds and nine assists on the visiting Sacramento Kings on Friday in the final game of the preseason for the Lakers, but it wasn't enough to get a win. LA loses to the Kings, 117-116.

The "dress rehearsal" was interesting on a few levels, starting with... the starting lineup. Gabe Vincent was a surprise choice for the final slot, and to his credit he came out hot (as he's been throughout the preseason). Is he going to be the starter when the real games start on Tuesday, or would the Lakers turn to Jarred Vanderbilt or Marcus Smart?

Overall, it was a mixed bag for the Lakers, who got some good work from Deandre Ayton, but Austin Reaves had his first bad game of the exhibition season. Rui Hachimura scored 18 points, but only had one rebound. Smart was a major highlight, particularly of the second half, as he made his presence felt defensively but also got far more aggressive on the offensive end, too, playing a great deal with the ball in his hands.

For fans who are worried about him, Friday's game was likely a welcome development.

Overall, it was not a good exhibition season for LA. They had players dinged up, didn't win a lot of games, struggled defensively, and seemed to miss out on chances to build up a little more continuity. But now it's a couple days of practice before the real slate starts Tuesday. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

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The Lakers are down to one more preseason game, tonight at the Crypt vs. the Sacramento Kings. 

It will be the "dress rehearsal" JJ Redick has referenced for a few days. The hope, it had seemed, was to have two of these, but for whatever reason this will be the only game the Lakers will run with their opening night rotation. The starting lineup for Tuesday's season opener is still somewhat in question, but the tea leaves would indicate that Jarred Vanderbilt will slide into the spot created by LeBron James's injury. 

Tonight will certainly give some clues on Redick's approach. And it'll be a chance to see how the Lakers lean on guys like Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura to fill in some of the offensive space left vacant by LeBron, and what it looks like for Luka Dončić to truly be the sun around which the rest of the Lakers orbit. 

The Luka/Reaves combo, always under the microscope, will get plenty of burn to start the year, and perhaps send some signals as to where the Lakers go in the future once LeBron either retires or moves on to another team. 

The center rotation more broadly will be under a microscope, and Lakers fans should be feeling pretty good, given how Ayton has looked in the preseason, and the steady play from a bulked up Jaxson Hayes, now back to his more appropriate role as a backup. 

One of the only remaining mysteries is Marcus Smart, who came into camp nursing an injury, and has been treated with kid gloves throughout camp. He got 20 minutes of burn on Tuesday, but didn't make much of an impact. Will that change tonight? How much can the Lakers lean on him early? And if he's not healthy - or can't be kept healthy - what kind of value will he provide during the season? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get their dress rehearsal. 

 

SEGMENT 2: The center rotation looks much improved. 

 

SEGMENT 3: Is Marcus Smart a major risk? 

 

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First things first: As suspected, LeBron James is hoping to return around mid-November, this from ESPN's Shams Charania. This timetable would have him missing about 15 games, which all things considered wouldn't be the worst outcome. James, who hasn't been able to participate in basketball activities since hurting himself in July, will need a few weeks to ramp up and ensure his fitness is restored to what it needs to be. If that happens around Halloween, mid-November is a reasonable target. Any delay, however... 

So the Lakers at least have some idea of how they'll play the first quarter of the season, give or take. 

Meanwhile, game 5 of the 6 game preseason is in the books, and it was another loss for the Lakers. 

Like the others, it wasn't without its high points. The Lakers played without Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber. And LeBron, of course, and Bronny James, too, who was nursing an ankle injury suffered Tuesday against the Warriors. So there's a limit as to what can be learned from a game like this one. But still, there were good performances worth noting, especially from Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt. 

Meanwhile, Dalton Knecht continues to struggle in meaningful minutes. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose in Vegas. 

 

SEGMENT 2: Rui plays well, which matters a lot. 

 

SEGMENT 3: LeBron out until mid-November (at least). 

 

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There were a lot of things about Tuesday's game in Phoenix against the Suns more important than the final score. Luka Dončić made his preseason debut and was dominant, just as he was in Europe this summer, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in only 22 minutes of floor time. Austin Reaves had 25 of his own.

Deandre Ayton, who has been a rebounding monster this preseason, kept it up, with 13 boards and three blocks in his 26 minutes. Marcus Smart also made his Lakers debut, seeming to move freely in 20 minutes of burn (20 minutes in which he didn't take a single shot).

But there were other things that will most certainly drive JJ Redick nuts, namely the defensive effort of the team, particularly in the second half. Yes, much of that was with deep reserves/G-Leaguers, but the last few minutes with the rotation guys weren't great, especially considering Phoenix sat about 80 percent of its expected regular season rotation.

Along those lines, the Lakers were sitting guys too (Vando, Rui, Vincent). Was that really wise? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: Luka returns, and Luka dominates! 

 

SEGMENT 2: The Luka/Reaves combo is productive. Smart makes his debut. 

 

SEGMENT 3: More good stuff from Ayton! 

 

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It's been a disjointed preseason for the Lakers, with critical players in and out (or in the case of LeBron James, just out) of the lineup, whether in practices or in the first three exhibition games. 

But tonight, that all changes! Barring any last minute emergencies, the Lakers will get the first of two anticipated "dress rehearsals" ahead of next week's season opener at the Crypt against the Golden State Warriors. Of course, LeBron won't be in uniform, so the Lakers not only have to get everyone on the same page as Luka Dončić, who will make his preseason debut tonight, but figure out who will take LeBron's place in the starting lineup. The most logical choices for JJ Redick are his two defensive aces, Marcus Smart (also playing in his first preseason game) and Jarred Vanderbilt. Vando would seem to have the inside track, if for no other reason than Smart could still be building up to a full workload as the Lakers treat his Achilles tendonitis with care. 

How do the Lakers replace LeBron's skill set? Obviously it gets divided among a lot of players, but it's not just about stats. James being out impacts how Redick organizes the guys who will take the floor. It's a big shake up. 

Finally, the Lakers are trying to bring Dalton Knecht back up to a place where he's not only a positive part of this team, but is seen to have value around the league. It's part of the reason he started on Sunday, with decent results. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: Luka is back!

 

SEGMENT 2: Who gets LeBron's starting spot?

 

SEGMENT 3: Rehabbing Knecht's image. 

 

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The Lakers got some good news on the floor Sunday, winning their first game of the exhibition season, 126-116 over Golden State at the Crypt. Strong games from Austin Reaves (who was banged up in the second half, but after the game was described as "fine" by JJ Redick), Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton -- three guys who will need to bring it without LeBron James in the lineup for the first 10 games at least. 

There were good performances from Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and more. Overall, a strong effort for LA, who were playing without Luka Doncic, LeBron and Marcus Smart. 

So about Luka -- the Lakers did provide a little clarity on a very mysterious week. Luka is fine. He participated in full when the Lakers practiced Saturday, went through warmups on Sunday and will play in two of the final three games the Lakers play before the regular season starts on the 21st. Last week's mini-shut down was planned load management stuff... the type of thing maybe the Lakers should have explained? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

SEGMENT 1: Lakers win! But more importantly, the Lakers provide clarity on Luka. 

 

SEGMENT 2: Reaves, Rui and Ayton shine. 

 

SEGMENT 3: Vando and Knecht. 

 

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The news out of El Segundo Thursday wasn't good. LeBron James, who hadn't participated in full speed drills yet this preseason, will miss the next 3-4 weeks with sciatica. At that point, he'll be re-evaluated. So there's really no guarantee all of this will be cleared up in a month. 

That means the Lakers will be without James almost surely for the first 9 or 10 games this season, and very (very, very) possibly for more. 

So what happens now? How much does this hurt the Lakers going forward? There is a tremendous amount to unpack, here. 

And to make it worse, Luka Dončić, who was a full participant last week in LA's camp activities up until the first two preseason games, hasn't practiced all week. The Lakers haven't really clarified as to why, but it means you have the team's second best player (who is top 10 in the league) and the team's best player (top 3, consensus) both on the sidelines. JJ Redick's frustration was certainly palpable in El Segundo on Thursday. 

At this point, with more clarity now available on LeBron, getting a handle on Luka's health becomes the major priority for the Lakers. Why he's sitting out is a matter of utmost importance, and the early part of the season at the least hinges on it. And in the West, losing critical players for any length of time can mean the difference of multiple spots in the standings. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 


SEGMENT 1: LeBron out at least another 3-4 weeks before being re-evaluated. 

SEGMENT 2: What do the Lakers do from here? 

SEGMENT 3: Why isn't Luka on the court? 

 

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LeBron James has yet to practice with the Lakers during the preseason. That wait to hit the court will reportedly take even longer.

Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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The Lakers are deep into their second week of training camp, creeping towards the opener on the 21st. 

LeBron James (nerve issue in his glute) hasn't practiced. And now Luka Dončić seems to be more limited now than he was last week. Luka missed the two preseason games the Lakers played last weekend, and has been a limited participant in practice since. Last week, Dončić was -- reportedly at least -- a participant in everything the Lakers were doing on the floor. 

That's not a good sign. 

Lakers fans are starting to see a lot of teams displaying the important work of critical preseason practices. They're wondering if the team simply isn't serious enough about the preseason. But is the more appropriate worry that they're not healthy enough to put in the type of grind fans would prefer to see? LeBron has gone from hopefully participating in a one of the four remaining preseason games to hopefully being ready for the regular season opener. And now Dončić is going the wrong way. 

It's been so disjointed that when asked what it's like to work with Luka and LeBron, new center Deandre Ayton said he doesn't know, because it hasn't happened yet. 

That's... not good. 

So are they unserious? Or more untruthful? At some point, if Luka isn't on the floor, the Lakers are going to need to provide an explanation of some sort. 

One person likely to get an explanation ... from a judge? The fellow who sued LeBron after James revealed that the big Decision 2.0 was just an ad for cognac as opposed to some sort of retirement announcement. Making the tickets he purchased for the home regular season finale at the Crypt against Utah just a regular old game, one in which it's very possible LeBron won't even play. The dude says he's out hundreds of bucks, and that LeBron is responsible. 

Good luck with that. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Luka's still not playing this week? 

SEGMENT 2: Are the Lakers being honest about their collective health? 

SEGMENT 3: Lawsuit!!!

 

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FanDuel
Right now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting https://FanDuel.comto get started

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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