LOS ANGELES — Fifty-seven games in and the Lakers are still searching for answers.
The good: They’re solidly placed in the Western Conference standing, sitting in sixth but in a logjam below Oklahoma City and San Antonio, who are comfortably atop the field.
The bad: The Lakers (34-23) are the only team in the NBA that has a winning record and also holds a negative point differential (-0.3).
“It’s a bit upsetting,” center Deandre Ayton said of splitting the eight-game homestand, adding he felt as if the Lakers squandered an opportunity for more playing at home.
Falling to three teams – of the Lakers’ four losses in the homestand – that sit at first or second in their respective conferences, coach JJ Redick admitted what some could say is obvious about the Lakers in recent weeks.
“We’re a work in progress,” he said after Tuesday night’s sinking defeat, when Luka Doncic passed up a 3-pointer with seconds remaining on what Redick called an “executed” play, leading LeBron James to misfire an off-balanced shot from long range to fall 110-109 to the Orlando Magic.
Doncic said after the game Tuesday that the Lakers have to be more consistent – adding that he believes they should have won more games in February – while James said he believes the Lakers have to close quarters better to avoid crumbling from double-digit leads.
Luke Kennard – like hiring a consultant for an outside look into an organization – may have as fresh of a perspective of the Lakers as possible.
Since joining the Lakers earlier this month in the trade that sent guard Gabe Vincent to Atlanta, he watched Austin Reaves fully return from his left calf strain, Doncic sit for four games with a mild hamstring strain and learn what it’s like to lose four times in his return to Los Angeles.
The 29–year-old sharpshooter, who is averaging 9.6 points per game on 65.8% shooting across seven games since the trade-deadline swap, said the Lakers have “got to put together a full 48 minutes.” But Kennard emphasized he is assured of what his new team has heading into a two-game road trip, starting with playing the Phoenix Suns (33-26) on Thursday night.
“I got full confidence in this group and who we have in this locker room,” Kennard said. “I mean, I’ve been on a lot of teams, a lot of good teams. And I fully believe in what we have. Just being around these guys, the way they prepare, the way they talk to each other, the way we compete.”
James said that in the throes of the NBA season, more than halfway through the 82-game schedule, it’s difficult to look back on games – such as a loss to Oklahoma City at the beginning of the homestand.
“Games are just bang-bang-bang-bang,” said James, who’s averaged 20.1 points (45.8% from the field, 22.9% from 3-point range) across the seven games he played during the eight-game home stretch.
“You don’t have much time to really think. We’re playing every other day or if it’s a back-to-back. Thinking back (about) something that happened three weeks ago in this league is hard, you can’t even really do it.”
Lakers hire Bennett for draft help
The Lakers announced Thursday morning that they hired former Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett to assist president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka as an NBA draft advisor.
“When Rob and I began talking, what stood out to me was the chance to help out such a storied organization,” Bennett said in a release. “The Lakers carry a tradition that speaks for itself, so to be connected to it and assist Rob and the Lakers in any way I can is exciting.”
Bennett, who won an NCAA championship with the Cavaliers in 2019, coached Virginia from 2009-24. Before that, he was at Washington State from 2006-2009, coaching Klay Thompson during his collegiate career.
“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Tony as an advisor to the Lakers basketball operations department,” Pelinka said in a press release. “As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource.”
“Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill and high-IQ players is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited.”
Bennett has coached 13 players to eventual NBA draft selections, many of whom come from the defensive and physical playstyle he built his playbook around.
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