Although the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Golden State Warriors 111-103 in their second preseason game, Lakers forward Jake LaRavia emerged as a bright spark in the rotation. After making his first appearance as a starter for the Purple and Gold, he appeared more confident, as he discussed his role in the rotation with the media after the game.
“To be honest, I already feel like I’m pretty comfortable with the role that I have,” LaRavia mentioned. “And the role that’s been given to me, what me and JJ (Redick) talked about. It’s obviously going to be different when Luka and LeBron, and AR are all in the lineup. When I’m thrown in with them, it’ll be more of me being that spacer rather than being on-ball and being the connecting piece. Either way, I’m comfortable doing both things.”
The forward dove deeper into how he would play alongside the Lakers’ trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves while speaking with Spectrum SportsNet after the game.
“I imagine there’d still be lineups where I do,” LaRavia added when discussing whether he’d take on ball-handling duties in Doncic’s absence. “When Luka is out of the game or whatever it is, that I will have the ball in my hands to be able to be like that connector piece. But obviously, I will be more spaced out shooting and close out stuff when they’re all back. In this game, the shot wasn’t really falling for me. But I tried to do other things.”
The forward may not have been able to lead the team to victory, but his performance was noteworthy all the same. He posted 10 points, three assists, and one steal on 5-for-10 shooting from the field. Although he couldn’t connect from the perimeter, going 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, LaRavia found other ways to contribute.
Aside from LaRavia, the Lakers saw a solid performance from Gabe Vincent, who was returning to the rotation after missing the first game. The veteran guard, who was inserted in the starting lineup to replace Austin Reaves, took over on the offensive end, posting 16 points and five assists in 19 minutes while shooting 4-for-9 from the field and 3-for-7 from three-point range.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht also emerged as solid contributors for the game. Noting their performances, both Vincent and Vanderbilt are expected to earn more minutes in the rotation.
Although the Lakers managed to stay close at the end of the first half, they were outplayed in the second half. Bronny James came up with a highlight play to reinvigorate a comeback effort late in the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles faced too large a deficit to overcome.
Without the likes of their primary trio, the Lakers went into this matchup severely shorthanded. With a 0-2 record in preseason, the Lakers will look to turn things around at home, where they face the Warriors again on Oct. 12 at 11:30 p.m. ET.
