The Lakers have only two preseason games left, and the most obvious issue hanging over them is the one that starts with their two best players, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves: turnovers.
That problem was front and center after practice earlier this week, when Reaves said he and Doncic need to clean things up in that area. It’s an honest admission, and it fits the tape so far. Doncic has appeared in two preseason games, Reaves in one, and together they’ve already piled up 13 turnovers.
Doncic’s individual numbers are the loudest warning sign. He’s averaging 5.0 turnovers per game, a tough figure for the Lakers’ primary ballhandler and playmaker to carry into the regular season.
The turnover issue doesn’t stop there, either. Jaden Hardy is averaging 3.0 per game, while Bronny James is at 2.7 turnovers a night. In the preseason, that kind of thing can be messy without being permanent - but it’s still the sort of detail teams track closely because it reveals where the kinks are.
Los Angeles will get two more chances to sort through it before the games start counting. The Lakers face the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets to close out the preseason, with the opener against the Warriors set for Oct. 21.
There’s also a roster decision looming. Before that regular-season opener, the Lakers must trim to 15 players, and moves are expected quickly after Friday’s preseason finale against the Nuggets.
Hardy and James are among the players on the bubble, along with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht. If general manager Rob Pelinka doesn’t work out a two-for-one trade involving a couple of those names, the simpler route will be a waiver move to get down to 15.
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The timing matters, too, with the Lakers set to open the season against the Warriors on October 21 at Crypto.com Arena. For a team trying to build depth and keep its options open, Mamukelashvili sounds like the kind of piece who could move around the lineup and find a bigger lane than a standard bench role, even if the exact way Redick plans to deploy him is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]