Game Day (Preseason): Lakers @ Suns, Wed 12/16/20

[INFORMER]

DeAndre! I never doubted.

[The Bobster]

That 14-point lead disappeared fast.

[Split T]

I do like Motley’s hustle and energy out there

[Split T]

That 14-point lead disappeared fast.

That’s what happens when you don’t have a pg on the floor

[INFORMER]

Let's hope not having a real backup point guard isn't a problem again this year.

I can't for the life of me explain why this franchise has been so bad at getting a backup point guard. Besides the Bledsoe-Dragic pairing, the last time we had it settled was in 2010.

[INFORMER]

Ayton's stats look good. I'm looking forward to going back and watching his play.

[carey]

We sure snatched defeat from the jaws of victory tonight. Loved the 3rd quarter tho.

[INFORMER]

If Jalen Smith had followed that block with a made 3, it would have been my favorite sequence of the preseason.

[In2ition]

Jury is still out for me in Smith. He will be called Chucker Smith until he proves he is not. His shot is way to inconsistent for me, but he does have some promise and a great attitude.

I'm not hugely upset about this game. It will be nice to have the Antichrist back and the Cams.

Ayton looked a lot better, but he's still afraid of contact, imo.

[INFORMER]

Yeah, Smith hasn't shown much at all.

Most rookies that struggle this year will get a pass; they've been dealt a difficult hand.

But there are a number of rookies who look fine.

[Split T]

I won’t worry about Smith’s shot yet. Let him get some nba games under his belt.

[Split T]

Seems like Payne will be in the rotation.

[iLLmatic]

Let's hope not having a real backup point guard isn't a problem again this year.

I can't for the life of me explain why this franchise has been so bad at getting a backup point guard. Besides the Bledsoe-Dragic pairing, the last time we had it settled was in 2010.

I thought Ish Smith was alright.

[INFORMER]

He got better after he left the Suns.

[Shabazz]

I’m not worried about Smith’s shot. It looks good. It’s just not falling yet.

I’m more worried about his fluidity.

[carey]

Just noticed Jevon Carter out there like a SG with team high in FGAs. Lol.

[Superbone]

Let's hope not having a real backup point guard isn't a problem again this year.

I can't for the life of me explain why this franchise has been so bad at getting a backup point guard. Besides the Bledsoe-Dragic pairing, the last time we had it settled was in 2010.

Marcus Banks, baby!

[djy2j]

Ayton came out focused tonight so good on him for that. He fell asleep by halftime but though but came out focused again in the 3rd. Progress I guess?

I realize our bench rotations will be different (hopefully) but right now they look pretty bad as a cohesive unit. No one can move the ball on offense and no one can stop it on defense. I’d look strongly at replacing Motley with a PG. No one other than Cam can run the offense in the 2nd unit and we don’t know if he can do it consistently yet.

Paul’s leadership is a lot more visible compared to Rubio and that’s not a knock on Rubio. Players seem to want to play hard for him when he’s out there. I love it.

I was hoping Mikals 3 pt stroke would look a little better than it has. Still not over the hump yet.

[Shabazz]

There are some interesting free agents still out there. I'm OK with going into the season with Payne as our backup and taking it one week at a time.

[ShelC]

Ayton came out focused tonight so good on him for that. He fell asleep by halftime but though but came out focused again in the 3rd. Progress I guess?

I realize our bench rotations will be different (hopefully) but right now they look pretty bad as a cohesive unit. No one can move the ball on offense and no one can stop it on defense. I’d look strongly at replacing Motley with a PG. No one other than Cam can run the offense in the 2nd unit and we don’t know if he can do it consistently yet.

Paul’s leadership is a lot more visible compared to Rubio and that’s not a knock on Rubio. Players seem to want to play hard for him when he’s out there. I love it.

I was hoping Mikals 3 pt stroke would look a little better than it has. Still not over the hump yet.

Agree with all of this. Right now, Ayton needs someone constantly in his ear telling him to play a certain way. Good that he responded after the last game but he's getting known for this: not showing up for a game, playing well the next. He went passive in the 2nd, probably got an earful at halftime and came out motivated again. We'll see. Thought he wasn't ready for some of Paul's passes but hopefully they build some chemistry. Book connected with him on a lob in the 2nd half. 5-5FTs but still missed some opportunities to really go up strong and get fouled.

The bench needs to get back to moving the ball like they did in the bubble. I think we need to see what Saric and Cam add...Saric as a ball mover and Cam as depth and shooting so we're not running Carter, Moore and Gallo out at the same time. Also need to see Payne with a full group.

The starters looked fine. No real concerns there and while I'd like Cam to start, Jae looked really good out there. I still wouldn't mind Cam starting, using Jae off the bench and then closing games with him.

We got a lot of corner 3s last night, didn't knock down enough of them but I like that shot if Cam Johnson is waiting to shoot it.

I like Carter's offense and shotmaking but not at the rate he was taking them last night.

Good minutes for the starters, all around 25 last night. Paul still looks a little husky and his shot was off but he's as quick as ever and the shot will fall. Not worried at all. Book looks quicker too but I'm not sure about his 100mph drive to the rim everytime he gets it in transition. I like it once in a while to catch a defense off guard but felt like he was going to it too much last night.

Stix with 27 minutes off the bench but don't remember him playing at 5, which I'd like to see. I think he looks good out there for a rook in his 3rd preseason game. Shot wasn't falling but but 4 boards, 2 assists and a block. Things feel a bit crowded with him out there as a 4 next to a big. Hoping we see some 4/5 combo with him and Jae or Cam.