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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 takeaways from their preseason opener

By Michael Dugger

ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers high fives Lonzo Ball NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers high fives Lonzo Ball NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images /

1. Rookies impress in their debut

The attention was always going to be focused on the new centerpiece Lonzo Ball, who finished with one of his typical stat lines of eight assists and seven rebounds to go along with five points. He didn’t shoot well from the field (2-of-9), but Ball kept the ball moving and put his teammates in favorable positions to score while only turning the ball over three times in a game-high 36 minutes.

This type of impact is what was expected from the Los Angeles Lakers when they drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. But there’s another first round pick from the 2017 NBA Draft that could make an immediate impact for the Lakers.

Kyle Kuzma carried over his impressive play from NBA Summer League into the preseason by leading the Lakers in scoring with 19 points on an efficient 9-of-12 from the field, scoring in a variety of ways. I’ve talked about Kuzma’s potential success as a small-ball 4 based off his ability to shoot from deep, but seeing him finish running hooks with his off-hand and attack the basket confidently was surprising.

Kuzma looks to be a matchup problem for 4s with his quickness off the dribble and is the prototypical stretch-4 in the NBA. It’s only game one of the preseason, but you can see the confidence he carries himself with and the performances haven’t slowed down since he first donned the Lakers jersey in Las Vegas. Consistency from deep seems to be the biggest question mark moving forward.

Lonzo and Kuzma are the perfect players to usher the Lakers into their updated, fast-paced offense. So seeing their games translate against legit NBA competition was positive to see in their debuts.

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