The Los Angeles Lakers return to the court on Sunday night in what will mark the preseason debuts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.
James and Davis both sat out the preseason opener on Friday, a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the head coaching debut of JJ Redick. While Redick wasn’t pleased with some things, it was understandably not perfect in the team’s first game after just a few practices.
It will be interesting to see how things look with James and Davis integrated into the mix though as it was announced that they would be in action in the second preseason game. Redick has talked about using Davis as the hub of the offense and James playing more off the ball, and Sunday marks the first look at that in game action.
In the preseason opener, young players like Max Christie, Dalton Knecht and Jalen Hood-Schifino looked like they made serious strides in their development. With young players though, it is a matter of consistency so being able to follow it up with more quality play on Sunday would be big for the Lakers.
The Suns are a team in a similar position as the Lakers with multiple superstars in place but coming off a disappointing year. They also made a coaching change, bringing in Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogel so this will mark his Suns debut.
Even if Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all play, the Suns are in their first game together implementing new systems and terminology. As Laker fans know from Darvin Ham, the Budenholzer defensive system often leaves shooters open in the corners, so look for Redick’s team to get up a bunch of 3-pointers. That has been a big emphasis so far in training camp and the first preseason contest.
It remains to be seen how much James, Davis and the other starters will play, but getting at least a half together would be nice to see what they need to work on going into the next week of practice.
After missing the first preseason game with ankle soreness, Cam Reddish is also available for the Lakers and could get some minutes in the second half.
Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) vs. Phoenix Suns (0-0)
6:30 p.m. PT, October 4, 2024
Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs, CA
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes, Dalton Knecht, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bronny James
Projected Suns Starting Lineup:
PG: Tyus Jones
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Bradley Beal
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Mason Plumlee
Key Reserves: Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Josh Okogie, Monte Morris
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