Los Angeles Lakers · 8 notes
Ziaire Williams, back from a hamstring injury, was on a planned minutes limit and has foot soreness. JJ Redick hopes for "3 really good days with him" so the Lakers forward "can play more than 10 minutes" Oct. 21. Luka Doncic sitting the second half was planned, Redick said.
Walker Kessler expects Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to be double-teamed a lot off screens, so the Lakers center says he must improve at making plays when he catches the ball behind it: "just playing out of that pocket, it's going to be a big, big part of my expansion."
Luka Doncic and Ziaire Williams were both full participants in Lakers practice, JJ Redick said. Before the preseason finale against Denver, he wants better ball security and defensive rebounding, and ran three box-out drills: "It's a point of emphasis for us right now."
Austin Reaves tweaked his ankle in training camp, delaying his first game next to Kevon Looney, the Lakers' media availability heard. Looney's role: screens that give Luka Doncic "easy looks where he don't gotta create for himself as much."
Sandro Mamukelashvili will get "a little Mamu package" of set plays, Lakers coach JJ Redick said; the opening play against Golden State was one, run wrong. With Walker Kessler off, Redick wants two bigger wings: Mamukelashvili, Luka Doncic or Adou Thiero.
No gentle start for Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. "I don't think he has a choice," Brandin Podziemski said. "He's going to be in a position where we need him to be aggressive, to win a lot of games." Podziemski also sees him guarding bigger wings like Luka Doncic.
Sandro Mamukelashvili has played a lot of center for the Lakers in preseason: "Wherever you put me, I'll try to do my best." Next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, his job is spacing the floor, hitting 3s and pushing the ball, "'cause a lot of times Luka and Austin are denied."
Austin Reaves was set for his first Lakers game alongside Luka Doncic this year on Oct. 8: "he's ready to go," JJ Redick said. Ziaire Williams sat again with soreness, "not anything that we're concerned about." Adou Thiero was available but knows he has to defend to play.