The Los Angeles Lakers faced their second preseason loss as they finished the game at 103-111 against the Warriors. The loss does not mean as much as finding and finessing the bench, which the Lakers did well in this preseason match-up. To kick things off, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt popped out as two key figures during the Lakers’ Preseason game. Head Coach JJ Redick talked about the two during the post-game presser.
“People are gonna earn minutes, I think that goes for everybody. I’ve been very impressed with just the amount of work he’s [Vanderbilt] done this summer on his game, and obviously, his body is significantly better than this time last year, or even when the season ended.” Redick said.
Vanderbilt got to play 21 minutes in the game, putting up 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Although the talking point from the game was his scuffle with Draymond Green, Redick was able to focus on the important things.
“He’s moving better, his handle is tighter. I’ve never seen him make a Euro D-Cell finish. It’s good. He’s been working on his game. And the shot is the big thing for him, if he can be a consistent three-point shooter for us, that unlocks a lot,” the Head Coach added.
Vanderbilt has been working on his three-point shot because he’s already showcased his prowess as an energetic, go-getting defender. But the Lakers need a three-and-D guy, and that’s what he wants to achieve. Redick also commented on whether the 26-year-old forward could become part of the starting lineup.
“We started 24 lineups last year. The lineup that started the season for us started eight games together. We made a change. So, I’m of course open to things, and like I said, everything will have to be earned,” Reddick said.
Another developing three-point threat, Gabe Vincent, impressed the basketball world in this game with his three out of seven made three-pointers, playing against the best shooter in the world, Stephen Curry. JJ Redick discussed how Vincent has made a significant change to his playing style since joining the Lakers. He’s had to focus on becoming an off-the-ball scorer, which is a huge shift from how he played with the Miami Heat.
“Gabe and I talked about it a ton, and whether he likes a role, doesn’t like a role, you’re gonna get the same version of him every single day. I like the pace that he plays with. Chase-action, coming off a pick-and-roll, he just has a natural way of moving with urgency,” the Lakers head coach said.
Vincent put up 16 points and five assists in the game, and the highlight was the way he answered Curry’s three-pointers with shots of his own. But what Vincent is struggling with is getting into rhythm without getting 10-11 shots. He’ll only get six or seven shots a game to get in rhythm, and that is going to take time to adjust completely. Both these key rotation players are making significant changes to their game, and that will take some time.
LeBron James has reached the tail end of his career. The move to get Luka Doncic from the Mavericks was undertaken with the perspective that he’ll be the next anchor point around which the Lakers will build their future identity, and another immediate shot at a championship. But that does not happen without the right supporting cast. The Lakers are seriously depending on Vincent and Vanderbilt to step it up because everyone knows what Doncic or James can do. It is about the rest of the roster, which will dictate whether the gold and purple franchise gets to go on a championship run or not.
