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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Attention NBA fans! Get ready for an exciting matchup as the Los Angeles Lakers aim to redeem themselves after a disappointing season opener loss. The Lakers will face an undermanned Phoenix Suns team on Thursday. However, there’s a catch. Two of the Suns’ biggest stars, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, will be sitting out the Lakers’ home opener.
Beal, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Washington Wizards, also missed Phoenix’s recent victory over the Golden State Warriors due to lower back tightness. On the other hand, Booker showcased his skills in the win over the Warriors, leading the team in points and assists. Unfortunately, he’ll be sitting out against the Lakers because of a sore left foot.
Despite the absence of Beal and Booker, the Suns’ lineup will still feature the immensely talented Kevin Durant. He is just 37 points away from surpassing Hakeem Olajuwon for the 12th spot on the all-time scoring list.
“Guarding a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber is no easy task,” said Lakers guard Austin Reaves during shootaround on Thursday. “You can put in your best defensive effort, contest his shots, and make it difficult for him, but with his height and wingspan, his shot is virtually unstoppable. Even for someone like me with a height disadvantage, it’s practically impossible to reach his release point. However, I’ll do my best to make it challenging for him because he’s a world-class player for a reason.”
Let’s not forget that the Lakers faced a tough loss against the Denver Nuggets in their season opener. Two key storylines emerged from that game: Anthony Davis going scoreless in the second half and the Lakers struggling when LeBron James was off the court.
Davis explained that the Nuggets double-teamed him in the second half, forcing him to pass to open shooters. However, he acknowledged that he needs to take more shots himself. “It’s tough sometimes because you want to create space and give others an opportunity to score when teams double-team either LeBron or me,” added Reaves when asked about adjustments the Lakers can make. “I think we need to add more confusion on the backside so teams can’t overload defensively.”
In addition to improving their offensive movement, the Lakers’ role players will have to step up and fill the gaps when it comes to limiting LeBron James’ minutes to the 28-30 range this season. In the season opener, the Lakers outscored the Nuggets by seven points during the 29 minutes that James played, but they were outscored by 19 points in the 19 minutes he sat on the bench.
“When LeBron is off the court, it’s my responsibility to take charge both offensively and defensively,” said Rui Hachimura, who trained with James during the offseason. “He’s always hustling on the court, utilizing his physical presence. So, when he’s not playing, I have to step up and be his understudy, as he mentioned.”
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