Topic: We wonder which Los Angeles Lakers player has been the most impressive and most disappointing through the team’s first two preseason games.
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Context: The Los Angeles Lakers finally took the basketball court for the first time this week, participating in two preseason games. The first was a 98-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets while the second was a 120-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The return to the court of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash were the main stories and as such, most of the eyes were on the two veterans who likely won’t be around in the NBA for much longer. However, there were many other players making debuts or returns as well.
Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis all made their Laker debuts as acquisitions this off-season, and rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson also got their first taste of NBA basketball.
Players like Jordan Hill and Wesley Johnson returned from last season’s team with much higher expectations than last season as both are expected to play a big role in the Lakers’ fortunes this season.
While two games is not enough to judge who will have a great season and how good the team will do, it is enough for some players to stand out, both positively and negatively. So who has done the most (or least) in two games?
Verdict: We went To twitter to ask our loyal followers, which player has impressed them most in the team’s first two preseason games? And who has disappointed? These are some of the responses:
@TheeCoreyH @LakersNation Wesley has been an useless player lately. Henry should be the starter #3 against Houston for sure. Ed was a steal.
— Felipe Lopez (@Spiderman1109) October 11, 2014
@TheeCoreyH @LakersNation Kobe has impressed me the most and randle has been the most disappointment
— CARLOS (@CCG1969) October 11, 2014
@TheeCoreyH Ed Davis definitely the most intriguing player. Could change the whole picture. Boozer/Johnson disappointing so far #LNDebate
— Sofiane (@BledMamba) October 11, 2014
@TheeCoreyH @LakersNation Ed Davis impressed me the most. Jeremy Lin has disappointed me.
— J Cates (@JeremyCates23) October 11, 2014
@TheeCoreyH Kobe has impressed me the most and Clarkson has been the most disappointing #LNDebate
— Alex (Silent) Hill (@ImDiabetus) October 11, 2014
@LakersNation Davis most impressive. He doesn't just look good, he looks OBVIOUSLY good. Y was he so cheap? What am I missing? #LNDebate
— Ross Baltimore (@baltross) October 11, 2014
Ed Davis is the main choice among fans and it is hard to disagree with them on this topic. Obviously it is great to see Kobe back on the floor and he has had some excellent moments, but we have seen Kobe do damage before.
His numbers have been solid, and even more impressive considering how few minutes he played. He also looks like the team’s best rim protector and has shown himself to be an excellent offensive rebounder.
On the other end, Wesley Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Julius Randle all seemed to disappoint some fans. Randle is a rookie, so I take little stock in his first few games because struggles should be expected. However, Johnson was being built up so much in the off-season, I would have liked to see a little more.
Once again, it is extremely early to say whether or not Johnson will have an improved season, but the lockdown defense simply hasn’t been present so far. Once the team gets the defensive system down, it could definitely improve, but for now it is a disappointment.
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