Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers got their first big scare of the offseason, when Luka Dončić had to leave this weekend's game for Slovenia against Latvia (after lighting up the Latvians in the first half). It made for some scary Tweets, but in the end, turned out (we think) to be ok. Dončić reportedly wanted to go back into the game and was held back. He's reportedly already practicing again, and isn't expected to miss Eurobasket action. 

Now, this type of thing scares the **** out of the Lakers and Lakers fans. But it's also something everyone needs to get used to, because summertime international play is part of the Luka experience. And will be most offseasons. It's another reason this question of fitness and diet is so important. These games may not count on his NBA ledger, but they count for his body. It's additional wear that has to be accounted for. 

So two things - first, fans can be excited by the 26 point first half Luka posted before exiting the game, but they can also freak out over every injury scare like this one. But this is the world the Lakers live in. Time to get used to it! 

Meanwhile, Pat Riley is getting a statue this year. Can't imagine fans would argue about that, but it begs the question, who's next? How many people are still in the queue? 
 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Luka gets an injury scare prepping for Eurobasket. 

SEGMENT 2: Why the fitness matters

SEGMENT 3: Riley gets a statue! 

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It's not exactly the summer equivalent of Christmas Day -- that's the start of free agency -- but without question Schedule Drop Day is always a big one in NBA circles. Who's on TV the most? Where are the big matchups? How many back-to-backs? Where are the big rivalry games? 

Thursday, we started to get those answers, as the NBA (after leaking some of the big event day games) finally put out the whole thing. 

As for the Lakers, there's no way you can look at a Western Conference schedule and not think, "wow, that's brutal," but all that aside did the schedule gods make things even harder? How many long trips? Challenging travel in B2B's? Do they open with a home heavy schedule? Finish with a ton on the road? 

And when are some of the big event games -- like the night Pat Riley's statute gets unveiled outside Crypto.com? (Which always begs the question, who gets the next one?) 

So much intrigue and so many questions for a season that's still weeks away. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Schedule reaction!

SEGMENT 2: Where the Lakers have the biggest challenges. 

SEGMENT 3: The Riley statue and statues to follow.

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The Lakers made some news this week, hiring Jeremy Holsopple to be their next strength and conditioning guru. Holsopple, who worked in Dallas for a long time (stretching across the Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Dončić eras), is well-regarded in league circles, and just as importantly, has a great relationship with Luka. 

That seems to play into why Holsopple was let go by the Mavs. 

But should Lakers fans be excited by the addition, beyond the idea of making Luka happy? 

What exactly do strength and conditioning coaches do, anyway, and how easy is it to tell if they're doing it well? How do they fit into a larger player health architecture, and are the Lakers finally, after years of turnover, making some progress in this area? 

We answer these questions and many, many more with Jeff Stotts, certified athletic trainer, the founder of instreetclothes.com and one of the more respected voices around the NBA on player health and injuries. He's a big fan of the hire, and believes it's a good sign for the direction of the team in this area. 

Stotts also weighs in on how Luka's big summertime transformation could impact him this year and beyond, what we might expect from LeBron physically, and why injuries might be spiking around the league, despite more attention than ever to player fitness, the physiology of basketball, and things like load management. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Who is Jeremy Holsopple? And what do strength and conditioning coaches do, anyway?

SEGMENT 2: How Luka's new body impacts him now and down the road. 

SEGMENT 3: LeBron, NBA injuries and more. 

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The Lakers have had a tremendous amount of turnover in their strength/training/sports medicine departments over the last decade. And once again, they have a new man in charge. 

This time, though, it's a bigger deal than normal because 1) the hire—Jeremy Holsopple—is getting excellent reviews from smart people who know about this stuff around the league, and 2) because Holsopple was once a critical part of Luka's trusted circle in Dallas. By bringing him into the org, the Lakers are not only (hopefully) bringing expertise and stability, but also strengthening the bond with Luka. A wise move on multiple levels, and the type of thing the Lakers have historically done well. 

It was the dismissal of Holsopple that contributed to the souring of the relationship between Team Luka and the Mavs. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers have some folks at the end of the roster, not projected to be part of the rotation. Some of them, like Dalton Knecht, will watched carefully to see if they can break through and find regular minutes. Others... well, sometimes you have to remind folks they're still on the team. Namely Maxi Kleber, who didn't appear in a regular season game last season after arriving in the trade, making his debut in some bonkers minutes in Game 5 against the Wolves. 

There are many, many reasons to doubt Kleber's ability to contribute this yea for the Lakers, and there's a very good chance that his expiring deal (the only thing people talk about in relation to Kleber) is the most important thing about him in the 2025-26 season. But there's at least a possibility that Kleber can provide the Lakers backup center minutes when the matchups demand a player who is significantly different than Jaxson Hayes, the only other C on the roster after Deandre Ayton. 

It would certainly be a major boost were it to turn out that way. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers have a new strength and conditioning coach!

SEGMENT 2: Improving on the margins? 

SEGMENT 3: Kleber as a contributor? Rui as a sumo? 

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Monday, we talked about the challenges Dalton Knecht faced in his rookie season with the Lakers. How much were those challenges responsible for the inconsistencies in his play? How much of it is related to gaps in his skill set or hoops IQ (based on struggles to learn the proper reads on both sides of the ball)? 

And did the Lakers potentially get a little unlucky that Knecht fell into their laps, in the sense that they had less hands-on time with him (no workout, etc.) because they never suspected he'd be available at 17? If hoops IQ turns out to be a limiting factor, is that something the Lakers might have discovered had he been inside the building? Is it fair to worry more about Knecht given his (relatively) advanced age for a second year player?

Or is all of this simply a matter of time? With more of it -- more reps, more experience -- could Knecht hit his stride this season? 

And is Knecht limited by circumstance? The Lakers are a team competing for something in the West. They have aspirations. They are not in great position to give rotation minutes to a player who needs extensive freedom to make mistakes, or learn on the job. Meanwhile, Bronny James, the 55th pick a year ago, who certainly wasn't expected to contribute for at least a year or more, was put on a much more traditional development path. With the G-League, he was given the keys to the offense, and asked to run the same sets over and over and over again until the reads became more natural. 

The results? Bronny seems to have advanced far more significantly from year 1 to 2 than Knecht. Granted, that's based on Summer League as much as anything, but still reinforces how context is often key in professional sports. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Looking at Dalton's development. 

SEGMENT 2: Are the Lakers in position to help him grow? 

SEGMENT 3: Dalton's development vs. Bronny's. 

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We're still weeks away from the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, but at least now we know when it starts, and how it will begin for the Lakers. 

No surprise, the purple and gold are on for the league's opening night, October 21st, at home against the Warriors. Adam Silver knows he only has so many opportunities remaining for a LeBron James vs. Steph Curry tilt, and he's making sure the league gets one early, before the grind of the season makes it more likely one or the other could miss a game. 

From there, the Lakers will also get the Houston Rockets on Christmas, also at home. 

So only 80 games left to learn about! 

Meanwhile, Luka Dončić is back on the floor, prepping with the Slovenian national squad for Eurobasket. Against Germany on Friday, Luka played 24 minutes, finishing with 19 points, three rebounds and five dimes as the Germans picked up the win. But the win or the loss, while not irrelevant (there are plenty of Slovenians and Luka fans who are invested in Slovenia's success), is secondary to how Luka looks. Literally and figuratively. 

In a lot of ways, the answer to the "look" question fits in with some of the criticism of our initial conversation around where Locked On Lakers ranked players like Luka, LeBron and Austin Reaves in the network's Top 100. 

Finally, what might be at the core of the team's growing Dalton Knecht problem? 
 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers open vs. Golden State, get Houston on Christmas. 

SEGMENT 2: Luka vs. Germany! 

SEGMENT 3: The problem with Dalton? 

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It's summertime, which makes it Rankin' Seazin! And here at the Locked On Network, we're celebrating big. The NBA channel will soon be rolling out its Top 100. 

So where does Luka Dončić rank on the list? What about LeBron James? Austin Reaves? Do any other Lakers crack the top 100 players in the league? And more importantly, what does it mean to have guys on the list? Is there a big difference between 3 and 10? 10 and 20? What about 50 and 75? How many players do the Lakers have right now that can be reasonably considered to be in the top half of the league? 

Next, listeners react to Thursday's show focused on where Reaves fits, or should fit, into the team's future. Needless to say, among the folks actively commenting on the YouTube page, it was not universal love for AR. So do they have a point? Is Reaves overrated by the national and local media? Or is there a strain of Lakers fans who ... just kinda don't like him for one reason or another? What do the rankings indicate about how people might want to think about Reaves and his value, especially as he comes up for a new contract? 

Finally, Deandre Ayton gets to participate in a rite of passage for new Lakers... throwing out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium! 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Where does Luka rank? 

SEGMENT 2: What about LeBron and Reaves? What's important about the numbers? 

SEGMENT 3: Reacting to Reaves. 

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The Lakers have a lot of questions in front of them, now that Luka Dončić has signed his extension with the team. 

Most of them revolve around how best to build around the new superstar, and fundamental to that question is the future of Austin Reaves. It is widely assumed that next summer Reaves will attract a contract worth north of $30 million annually. Possibly around $35, if he has another season that looks like last year. It's also widely assumed that the Lakers will be the team that pays him. But while that contract number isn't out of line for someone with AR's numbers, it definitely would remove Reaves from the "best bargains in basketball" category, where he's sat for the last few seasons. 

So what does that impact the way the Lakers should look at him going forward? 

Many analysts look at Dončić and note that the players with whom he tends to thrive are generally athletic centers who can finish above the rim, and shooters to space the floor (ideally ones that can defend, as well). Basically, offensive players that can take advantage of his myriad skills, while also helping cover for his biggest weakness (high end defense). 

Reaves is an excellent player, but isn't either of those things. That's less an issue when he's making $14 mil or so than $35, because the Lakers would have less money to fill holes Reaves can't. On the other hand, he's really good, and the pairing was pretty effective last year in terms of net rating. So clearly they can play together. 

But how do the Lakers build a roster as players they like get pricier? 

Could LeBron James actually be a useful bridge for one more season if the goal really is to keep flexibility for the summer of '27? 

How exactly are the Lakers viewing roster building, big picture? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Is Austin Reaves an ideal running mate for Luka? 

SEGMENT 2: What are LA's options when it comes to Reaves? Pros and cons? 

SEGMENT 3: Is LeBron a potential bridge for the Lakers? 

5-Hour ENERGY
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On Tuesday's show, we talked about how in many ways, the Luka Dončić Era, while technically starting when he was actually traded to the Lakers, really started Saturday when Luka signed his extension. 

Turns out, in a lot of ways, Team Dončić agrees. Via Dan Woike's story about the epic week Luka had leading up to last weekend's contract party, the contract was presented to Dončić "in custom purple-and-black folders with his name and the Lakers’ logo in opposite corners, with a phrase his management team had chosen on a video screen behind him — “The Beginning.”"

Additionally, Luka's manager Lara Beth Seager had this to say. "He’s only looking forward. And he’s here. He wants to get the best players here. He wants to win, and he knows it starts with him,” Seager said. “And I think that’s what he proved this offseason. ‘OK, everyone wants to say or people think that they know me or I’m not a leader or I’m this way, or I’m that way, I don’t care. They can think and say whatever they want. I'm gonna show them who I am." 

Meaning Dončić now has a massive chip on his shoulder. Not surprising, since pro athletes famously find ways to put them there for invented slights. Actual ones work even better, and no question, Luka has reason to feel disrespected by the Mavs, and anyone who was willing to entertain their party line. 

Meanwhile, we answer a viewer question --- How many MVPs will Luka win with the Lakers? Multiple? Just one? None? 

And finally, Kevin Love apparently wants to play in LA this year (as opposed to Utah). Would the Lakers be a fit? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Why it's "the beginning" for Luka. 

SEGMENT 2: Multiple MVPs for Luka in LA? 

SEGMENT 3: Kevin Love? 

5-Hour ENERGY
Time to fuel up and turn it up with 5-hour ENERGY®️ Transfusion! Go to https://5hourenergy.com today and use my promo code LOCKEDONGOLF to receive 20% off your order.This offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders.

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FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

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With most of the dust settled in the NBA offseason, it's not a bad time to start doing some leaguewide evaluations of how things have gone. 

That means grades! The Athletic put out a batch, and Lakers beat writer wrote this about the purple and gold: 

"Grade: B-

The challenge in grading the Lakers’ offseason is whether to hold them to the relative scale of what they were trying to accomplish or whether to grade them against the rest of the league — in particular, their rivals in the West. If it’s regarding what they were trying to accomplish, it’s hard to think of a way they could’ve done better than Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart without sacrificing draft picks or significant assets. If it’s against the rest of the West, you can’t say on paper that they kept up with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets or maybe even the LA Clippers. But an offseason isn’t just about which players come in and which ones are lost; there’s other stuff, too. Luka Dončić’s extension (and role in signing Ayton and Smart) bodes well for a long-term relationship between the organization and the star. The ownership sale to Mark Walter at a $10 billion evaluation should eventually give the team every financial tool and then some. The awkwardness with LeBron James is less than ideal, but on the whole, the Lakers got better this summer in more than one way."

So is this fair? Accurate? Is the split-emphasis on both the rest of the conference and moves in a vacuum the right way to look at it? Does it sell the Lakers a little bit short? 

And then meanwhile, even if you think the Lakers have fallen a tick or two behind the best teams in the conference (which is a fair evaluation) it's important to remember that the Lakers had a lot more room to move down than move up. Treading water would have been a reasonable outcome. Getting better? And getting Luka under contract in the best way possible? That's pretty good stuff.

From there, we explain why the Luka Era officially began this offseason, even if his arrival dates back to last February. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get a B- from The Athletic. Fair? 

SEGMENT 2: When did the Luka Era actually start? 

SEGMENT 3: Why B- might be too low? 

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