Locked on Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers’ winning ways have been the biggest surprise of the early NBA season, and it’s safe to say a HUGE part of their success has been the coaching of Luke Walton. NBA 2K community manager (and huge Lakers fan) Chris Manning joined host Harrison Faigen to discuss why he has fully embraced what Luuuuuuuuke is cooking in Los Angeles on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Harrison and Chris also chatted about why they think Walton is the early coach of the year favorite and marveled at how good the Lakers’ bench has been. And finally, Chris guaranteed the Lakers will make the playoffs this year, while also revealing which Lakers player he thinks most needs their 2K rating upped.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ bench was amazing again in the team’s 109-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Luke Walton inserted Jose Calderon and Thomas Robinson into the starting lineup to keep his reserve group of Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance, Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, and Tarik Black together, and they rewarded him by outscoring the Hawks at a rate that would have translated to 58.6 points per 100 possessions. Host Harrison Faigen was joined by Silver Screen and Roll writer Gary Kester to discuss why that group has been so great. The two also discussed why they’re so high on Ingram, what Nance brings to the team, how the Lakers can stay in contention for the playoffs over the next month, and much more on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Locked on Lakers returns from its Thanksgiving hiatus with a new Friday episode, featuring a discussion with Sean Highkin of the Athletic Chicago and Locked on Bulls. Sean joined Anthony to discuss Luol Deng's inauspicious start to the season, the ways Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose's departures have affected the Lakers and Bulls, respectively, and Sean's first visit to Roscoes. Before that, Harrison and Anthony briefly discussed the Lakers getting beat down by the Golden State Warriors and how Anthony keeps ditching Harrison for interviews with guests. You can check out all that and more on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Nick Young used the ice now coursing through his veins to hit a game-winning three-pointer in the Los Angeles Lakers’ last-second win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, capping an incredible start to the season for one of the NBA’s biggest surprises. Host Harrison Faigen went on Facebook Live following the game to discuss his takeaways from the win, and in an instance of perfect timing, Anthony Irwin spoke with Baxter Holmes of ESPN about Young’s shocking start to the season earlier in the day. Holmes discussed tons of details from his must-read features on Young and how D’Angelo Russell wants to emulate Manu Ginobili, plus much more on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

With the Los Angeles Lakers set to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, host Anthony Irwin couldn’t think of anyone better to bring on the show than Norman Transcript Thunder beat writer Fred Katz. Before bringing in Fred, Harrison and Anthony gave some brief keys for the Lakers against the Thunder. Then, Fred and Anthony discussed the similarities between Kobe Bryant and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and the run Westbrook is currently on. Do the Lakers have any chance? Find out on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are on a two-game losing streak, but the team has still surprised this season with a 7-7 record. Their chemistry has been excellent, and two major contributors in both areas have been Lou Williams and Nick Young. The two have played well enough that they have, against all odds, become incredibly valuable role players for Los Angeles after prior thought heading into the year that they were little more than trade bait. The weird dynamic led hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin to ask: would the Lakers even consider breaking up the good thing they have going if another team made an offer for Young or Williams? The latest episode of Locked on Lakers also features Harrison and Anthony explaining why the Lakers’ loss to the Chicago Bulls was so important, whether or not the team should consider sitting D’Angelo Russell if his knee is nagging him, a weird stat involving Russell, and Harrison’s latest hot take.

Harrison was slacking off again, so Anthony went and got an upgrade guest to fill in. This time, it was Darius Soriano of Forum Blue & Gold, and there was plenty to talk about. First, D’Angelo Russell continues to drive conversation with his play. He’s leading the Lakers in several statistical categories and has played quite well, yet fans are somehow disappointed. Darius and Anthony try to figure out why. Then, they discuss how the expectations for Russell might’ve been too high coming into this season, but the situation has flipped and maybe people weren’t giving enough credit to what the Lakers were capable of. They also spoke about the playoffs for this team and the grueling stretch they have, starting with Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Hope you enjoy and if you do, make sure to tell Harrison to keep slacking off!

D’Angelo Russell impressed with his scoring in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, but it was the way he went about his explosion that impressed hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin most, and the two discussed why on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Later in the show, the two preview a tough upcoming portion of the Lakers’ schedule, break down a random made-up trade scenario involving Paul George, and broke down what they’re looking for from Ivica Zubac’s debut with the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Thursday night.

Harrison couldn’t make the show, so Anthony somehow convinced Zach Harper (formerly of CBS Sports) to hop on the show to compare the Lakers’ future with that of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Basically, both teams’ fan bases have quite a bit to look forward to. Anthony and Zach went position by position to evaluate what both teams have stocking their cupboards. What might Ricky Rubio have to offer this year, and, by extension, could Kris Dunn fill that void should he be moved? D’Angelo Russell has shown flashes of incredibly exciting play, but can he maintain the consistency the Lakers need from him? All that, plus a trade proposal. And a Nicolas Cage question, because of course.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a day off on Monday, and you know what that means: more Phil Jackson returning to Los Angeles speculation! The New York Knicks president said in an interview that he wasn’t considering a return to the team he won five titles with as a coach, and hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin explained why they think that’s good news on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Later, Harrison and Anthony try to figure out what Phil’s five best moves with the Knicks are, discuss Anthony’s regrettable Julius Randle takes over the summer, and preview the Lakers’ game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Los Angeles Lakers sophomore point guard D’Angelo Russell has gotten off to a slower and more up-and-down start to the 2016 season than many expected. Russell has struggled with turnovers and his shot while head coach Luke Walton has often rolled with Lou Williams in his stead to close out games. Is it time to worry about Russell? Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin discussed their thoughts on Russell’s slow start on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Plus, the two debated how good Nick Young really is defensively and whether or not the Lakers’ should call up Anthony Brown and cut another player after he dropped 38 points in his D-League debut, before finishing up with the latest edition of #HarrisonsHotTakes.

The guys talk about what they found impressive from the Lakers win over the Sacramento Kings, including the team’s overall and continued lack of quit despite getting down double digits, Julius Randle being a potential sociopath, Timofey Mozgov taking yet another blow to the face and D’Angelo Russell being absent in yet another fourth quarter. Then, the Anthony and Harrison are joined by Roland Lazenby to talk about his new book: “Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant” which is in stores now, and features in depth reporting on Kobe's life, from growing up in Italy to his final years in the NBA.

The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-4, a considerably better record than many pegged them to start the season with. It’s led many to wonder how good the team can be. Despite all the good vibes, however, this team still has some (fixable) flaws, such as their shooting, the play of some of their higher salaried veterans, and some of the strange rotation patterns the team has used so far. Hosts Anthony Irwin discussed those issues, and why the Lakers should be able to improve upon them long-term, in the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, thus unceremoniously ending their three-game win streak and giving them their first home loss of the year. Veteran small forward Luol Deng continued to struggle in the loss, going 1-5 from the field in 30 minutes while getting torched by Harrison Barnes at times. It continued an inauspicious start to the year for the Lakers’ big offseason acquisition, who has averaged just 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds on 34.4 percent shooting so far this season. Is it time for the Lakers to worry about Deng? Why might he be struggling? Did Luke Walton play D’Angelo Russell enough in the second half? Host Harrison Faigen took those questions and many more in our special postgame, live edition of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 start, and three-game winning streak, was made possible by multiple factors. One of them is the play of Jordan Clarkson, who is averaging 14.1 points per game as the team’s primary bench scorer. Clarkson sat down with Harrison Faigen for the latest episode of Locked on Lakers during a break from spending a few hours in Universal Studios Hollywood with one of the winners of the Delta DreamHunt, an event that “challenges young, aspirational Angelenos to turn their dreams into realities by finding Delta’s Snapchat filters strategically placed in neighborhoods around the city. Winners were gifted with rare interactions with L.A. influencers, tickets to major L.A. entertainment events, and Delta perks like tickets, miles and Sky Club memberships.” Or, in this case, going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic Park with Jordan Clarkson. On the show, the two discussed his still relatively new role, how he was told about it, how much fun the Lakers are having, and whether or not Timofey Mozgov’s face has been a magnet for hits all season. Later in the show, Harrison and co-host Anthony Irwin discuss the interview, and then finish the show with the latest edition of #50ShadesofShade.