The Los Angeles Lakers might be 0-2 in the preseason, but there have been a lot of reasons for optimism so far and that will look to continue on the second night of their Las Vegas back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That onus will fall on the team’s young players, however, as head coach Darvin Ham has already said that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn will sit this one out.
On the plus side, however, guard Lonnie Walker IV is making his preseason debut and should have plenty of opportunity to show off what he will bring to this Lakers team as he has been drawing rave reviews in practices so far.
Much of the playmaking and creating duties will likely fall on Austin Reaves, who was extremely impressive against the Phoenix Suns. Reaves delivered an all-around performance, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks.
With Westbrook, James, Davis and others all out, this will allow Ham to get a closer look at those role players and help to solidify his rotation once the regular season begins. Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Wenyen Gabriel and Thomas Bryant are all battling for rotation spots and will look to show why they need to get minutes.
Also expect to see a long look at the two-way and training camp players such as Scotty Pippen Jr., Cole Swider, Dwayne Bacon, Matt Ryan and Jay Huff.
Standing across from the Lakers will be one of the best young players in the NBA today in Anthony Edwards. After a coming out party in last year’s playoffs, Edwards is someone who can make a major leap in his third NBA season and he led the Timberwolves with 24 points in their preseason opener.
Karl-Anthony Towns is still out with an illness, but Minnesota’s other stars in D’Angelo Russell and Rudy Gobert are expected to play.
Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0) @ Los Angeles Lakers (0-2)
7:00 p.m. PT, October 6, 2022
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Scotty Pippen Jr.
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Max Christie
PF: Wenyen Gabriel
C: Thomas Bryant
Key Reserves: Lonnie Walker IV, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Cole Swider, Damian Jones, Matt Ryan, Dwayne Bacon
Projected Timberwolves Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Anthony Edwards
SF: Jaden McDaniels
PF: Kyle Anderson
C: Rudy Gobert
Key Reserves: Naz Reid, Taurean Prince, Austin Rivers, Jaylen Nowell, Bryn Forbes
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