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The LA Lakers have gotten off to a rough 1-2 start this season. This makes Monday’s home game against the Orlando Magic a crucial one for LA. However, the Lakers trailed the young Magic 58-54 at halftime, leading to some concern among fans.
This includes actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., son of rapper Ice Cube, who warned the Lakers not to blow a prime opportunity to get back to .500.
“Before I take off let me just say @lakers, don’t you f**k with me!” Jackson tweeted.
While the Lakers are favored to win Monday’s matchup, Orlando (2-0) is no pushover. The Magic have two rising stars, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, as well as solid all-around depth. They also won their first two games against Houston and Portland and appear to be a potential breakout team this season.
However, LA still has more star power with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as more offensive firepower. So, if the Lakers are serious about contending this season, most would probably agree that this is a game that the team should win.
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Darvin Ham says he is still figuring out the LA Lakers’ rotation
Following the LA Lakers’ 132-127 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Lakers coach Darvin Ham spoke about how he is still figuring out his rotation. He said that he hopes to have LA's rotation finalized very soon to help his players find their rhythm.
“At the end of the day, my rotation, we got to really dig into that and really figure out and really take a close look so guys are in rhythm,” Ham said.
“I’ve played in this league. When you know when you’re going in and who you’re playing with and all that, that matters. Buckling down on our rotation, I’ll start there. That definitely is the main thing that’s on my mind.”
Ham added that he wants to see LA execute better, particularly on defense, and that the players who do so will earn more minutes.
“I don't want my team to be one of those teams that tries to play mistake-free. I love competitive mistakes. But, at the of the day, we have to be able to execute,” Ham said.
“We have to be able to get stops and hold teams to one possession. If you're defending, if you're competing at a high level, if you're sharing and sacrificing on the offensive end, allowing us to get the type of looks that we're looking for, then sure enough, you'll be out there on the floor.”
Ham concluded by making it clear that he isn’t overreacting, as it is still early in the season and the Lakers have a very talented roster.
“Having said that, we had a lot of guys that contributed today. We have a really, really good roster,” Ham said.
“Again, it takes time. It takes time. It's the third game of the season. We'll look at the film and get better from it.”
