The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a 0-2 start to their preseason following a 111-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Sunday. A lot of the attention was once again on Deandre Ayton, and while this second appearance was better than the first, one statistic did stand out for the wrong reasons.
Ayton had seven points (3-8 FG), seven rebounds, and two blocks against the Warriors in just under 21 minutes. While that’s not too bad, his plus-minus for the game was -25, the second-worst on the team.
This is just the preseason, so there’s no need to overreact, but it is slightly concerning that the Lakers were outscored at that rate when Ayton was playing. The only one with a worse plus-minus than the big man was another new arrival in Jake LaRavia. LaRavia had 10 points (5-10 FG), three assists, and one steal on the night, but was a -29.
It should be pointed out that plus-minus isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to evaluating how a player performed in a game. Still, it’s not ideal for the two new Lakers to rank at the bottom. It will be interesting to see how they look once LeBron James and Luka Doncic step out on the court.
Doncic and James have missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games, and it’s unclear when we’ll see them in action. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has stated they will be smart with both the stars. Doncic just spent much of the NBA offseason playing at EuroBasket for Slovenia, while James is dealing with nerve irritation in the glute.
These two, along with Austin Reaves, are going to be tasked with running this Lakers offense, and the team understandably isn’t flowing well without them. Reaves didn’t play against the Warriors but was in action in the 103-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the preseason opener.
Ayton had one point (0-2 FG), eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks in that loss to the Suns, and got trolled by Devin Booker in the first quarter. It wasn’t a debut to remember, but the 27-year-old wasn’t too concerned.
Ayton, who signed a two-year, $16.6 million deal this offseason, stated he only took two shots as he wanted to show the team he was more committed on the defensive end. He declared he isn’t here for the numbers, but to do what the team needs him to do.
Lakers Players With The Best Plus-Minus Against Warriors
Ayton and LaRavia were at the bottom of the pile when it came to plus-minus, but who was at the top for the Lakers? Well, that would be R.J. Davis, who was a +22. Davis had 11 points (1-2 FG), one rebound, and one assist on the night. Christian Koloko (+13) and Nate Williams (+13) were the only other Lakers in double digits on the positive side.
Those numbers were boosted thanks to these three playing in the final quarter, which the Lakers dominated. The Warriors led 102-80 at the end of the third quarter and did take the foot off the gas to an extent in the fourth. The Lakers won the quarter 23-9 as a result, to make the final score look respectable.
Ultimately, these were two disappointing showings in the preseason by the Lakers. They have struggled defensively, but it’s not time to sound the alarm bell just yet.
Redick had admitted after the loss to the Suns that it would take time for the Lakers to start playing their best. They have four more preseason games left, with their next outing also being against the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9:30 PM ET.
