There were a lot of positives to take away from the Los Angeles Lakers’ second preseason contest in Las Vegas against the Phoenix Suns. Players like LeBron James and Kendrick Nunn shined while role players such as Austin Reaves and Patrick Beverley showed all the different ways they will help this team be successful this season.
But perhaps the most encouraging thing about the contest was the energy of everyone on the team, be that in the game or on the bench. The Lakers seem to be building a strong camaraderie with everyone supporting one another throughout the entirety of the game.
And that is no accident as Beverley spoke about the importance of the Lakers building a brotherhood as the season begins, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I just feel like, you go through a season especially with new guys, new faces, and a new team, I think you have to build that brotherhood first,” Beverley said following the Lakers’ five-point loss. “That brotherhood comes with trust and once you build that brotherhood and you start to trust each other, I think the basketball comes easy.”
Beverley would go into further detail about a specific moment in the game:
“And this is not even basketball,” Beverley added. “Two guys fell on the floor today. Half the team helped one guy up, half the team helped the other, that shows that we’re building a brotherhood here. And the more we do that, be a cohesive unit and be together, wins will come.”
While that play stood out, there was another that had Lakers fans in the arena and at home scratching their heads. Following a Damian Jones dunk in the third quarter, the Lakers bench got extremely excited, so much so that they were issued a technical foul.
As it turned out, the onus for that fell on Lakers big man Thomas Bryant, who strayed too far out on the floor in celebration and support of his teammate. Players on the bench staying off the court was a point of emphasis this offseason for the NBA, so Thomas and the rest of the Lakers will need to keep that in check.
But that just goes to what Beverley is speaking about in terms of building that brotherhood. When you know you have the support from the rest of the team, players are more willing to do whatever is necessary to win and play even harder. That is what Beverley has been about his entire basketball career and he is going to make sure that trickles down to the rest of these Lakers.
James hoping to bring NBA team to Las Vegas
The Lakers’ preseason trip to Las Vegas not only served as an opportunity to build chemistry, but it has also given a platform to James in his desire to own a team in the city.
After the loss to the Suns, James made a plea to Adam Silver to make it happen as he has been very vocal in recent month about wanting to own an expansion team in Sin City after his playing career.
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