Locked on Lakers

With the Los Angeles Lakers not playing another game until Wednesday, there isn’t much to discuss other than which two players the team might be forced to move on from before the regular season begins. Yi Jianlian, Thomas Robinson, and Metta World Peace seem to be the three candidates most firmly on the bubble, and hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin brought on Silver Screen and Roll’s own Ben Rosales to explain why it’s nearly guaranteed that the Lakers will hang on to Yi. Later in the latest episode of Locked on Lakers, Harrison finds some of Anthony’s worst takes of all-time for their newest game, #TerribleTakeTuesdays, and the three also discussed Draymond Green’s comments on Julius Randle potentially being better than him one day.

One of the last things the Los Angeles Lakers have to sort out before preseason comes to a close is the minor detail of who will make the team’s final roster. The team currently has 17 players left under contract, and has to make at least two more cuts before real games begin. Thomas Robinson has tried to hustle his way to a roster spot. Metta World Peace has attempted to bring veteran leadership. Yi Jianlian has a favorable contract. Two of those three likely have to go, and hosts Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen debate which (or if one of the cuts could be a different player) on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Later in the show, Harrison and Anthony BOTH give their hot takes of the week, as well as offering a reminder of how you can win free stuff!

Locked on Lakers is normally only a Monday through Friday show, but there was enough to talk about after the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors that host Harrison Faigen decided to jump on Facebook Live quickly following the game for a bonus show. Up for discussion on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers was the horrific Lakers’ defense against Golden State, whether or not Nick Young can start for the team, how much growth D’Angelo Russell has shown, and finally if this has statistically been the worst free-throw shooting team in Lakers history so far during the preseason.

The Lakers are in completely uncharted territory. D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson all need the kind of nurturing it takes to be successful in the NBA. The question remains: Are the Lakers ready to provide the type of situation that lends itself to that type of growth? After Harrison went on Facebook Live to do a quick rundown of tonight’s game, he and Anthony brought in Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post to discuss whether the Lakers are ready for that type of rebuild. On top of the organization’s ability to grow those youngsters, do the players, themselves, have the talent and potential to make it work even if provided a proper launching pad? There’s a lot to discuss here, and Tim was great throughout the show, so enjoy.

Since the moment the Los Angeles Lakers selected Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, fans have been told to be patient with the wire hanger thin forward. This message has continued through four preseason games in the wake of Ingram’s offensive struggles. But why specifically shouldn’t fans be worried? To answer that question and many more, hosts Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen were joined by the mastermind and basketball junkie behind the brilliant “Laker Film Room” videos, Pete Zayas. The three discussed Ingram’s issues and strengths, whether or not D’Angelo Russell’s shooting, turnovers, or “pure point guardiness” are anything to fret over, as well as Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr.’s continuing growth on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime, and host Harrison Faigen jumped on Facebook Live following the game to discuss his thoughts on several of the players’ performances, as well as why he doesn’t think Yi Jianlian has earned a roster spot. Later in the show, Harrison was joined by co-host Anthony Irwin (who was in Staples Center for the game) to discuss the return of fun Nick Young, whether or not they have a problem with D’Angelo Russell’s shot selection, and the increased positivity around the team on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Finally, the two wrapped up with the latest edition of #50ShadesOfShade, possibly Harrison’s hottest take ever, and details on their first giveaway (free stuff!).

The Los Angeles Lakers, and their fans, are riding high after a 2-1 start to the preseason in which the team has looked better than they ever did during their prior 17-win campaign. The strong start has raised all kinds of questions. Can D’Angelo Russell sustain his high level of play, and has he matured? Who will make the final roster? Could Nick Young, against all odds, actually play the role of veteran contributor for the team? To overreact to all these preseason questions and more, host Harrison Faigen was joined by Silver Screen and Roll Editor-in-Chief Drew Garrison to discuss what they’ve seen around the team and in the locker room over the first week of exhibition play.

For the first half of the show, Anthony responds to what he saw in the Lakers’ victory over the Denver Nuggets. D’Angelo Russell was as impressive as we’ve seen him this preseason, making fellow lottery-pick guard Emmanuel Mudiay look completely outclassed for the second match-up in a row. Luke Walton doled out minutes in an interesting manner, so Anthony discussed what that might mean moving forward. Finally, he broke down both Nick Young and Lou Williams’ efforts Sunday night. Plenty to like there. In the second half of the show, Anthony was joined by Adam Mares of Denver Stiffs to compare the young cores of the Lakers and Nuggets, but from each other’s perspectives. You’ve obviously heard Anthony and Harrison talk about what they think of the kids, but hearing an outside voice allows for some interesting angles we might now have covered before.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have ultimately lost to the Denver Nuggets 101-97 on Friday night, but the team was arguably better in the defeat than their were in their preseason opening win over the Sacramento Kings. D’Angelo Russell exploded for 21 points in 24 minutes, Julius Randle was more efficient and showed improved passing ability, and Brandon Ingram got his first two field goals as a Laker (including a banked in three). To discuss all of these developments as well as take viewer questions about who will make the final roster, what he thinks of the end of roster guys, and more, host Harrison Faigen jumped on Facebook Live after the game on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Jordan Clarkson came off of the bench in the Los Angeles Lakers first game of the 2016-17 preseason, and despite the initial shock the move caused among fans, the athletic guard was solid in the new role. Clarkson attacked without hesitation while playing some of the better defense he’s ever exhibited. The move went well enough that given it’s always been somewhat assumed it is where Clarkson will eventually end up, hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin debated whether or not they think the change is part of a larger effort to prepare him for the role. The two also discussed changes they want to see from the Lakers against the Denver Nuggets and dropped the latest edition of #HarrisonsHotTakes on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Larry Nance, Jr. once again popped off the screen in the Los Angeles Lakers’ opening win of the preseason. The former 27th overall pick in the draft has done basically nothing but impress during his time with the team, serving in stark contrast to Julius Randle’s first game out of the gate. While one preseason game is too small of a sample size to make any definitive declarations of what role each of the Lakers’ young four men should play going forward, hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin once again debated whether or not they think Nance, Jr. will eventually seize the starting spot. The pair also discussed the Lakers’ new hires, why Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell might not have played together against the Sacramento Kings, and played the latest edition of 50 Shades of Shade on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Lakers finally resumed live action tonight. We’ve somehow made it through the months leading up to this momentous occasion and the light at the end of the tunnel, apparently, was Tarik Black. Anthony jumped on Facebook Live to give his immediate recap and respond to your thoughts as they came along. To start, we couldn’t help but notice Black’s activity and its effect on the rest of the game. Then, we spoke about what the backup point guard situation might look like, especially after what we saw tonight from Jose Calderon and Marcelo Huertas. We also react to Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench — that won’t be a trend for long — and the team’s defense as a whole. Finally, what did Nick Young’s DNP mean for him and the team moving forward?

It’s been a loooong wait, but Los Angeles Lakers basketball is finally over. The NBA Draft, free agency, and a head coaching search are all in the rear view as the purple and gold head south to Anaheim to take on the Sacramento Kings in their preseason opener. As of Monday, Luke Walton said he had yet to decide on a starting lineup. Which lineups he uses will also be worth watching, and hosts Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen dug into what else they’re hoping to see from the Lakers’ first (kind of) basketball game in several months on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers first week of training camp is in the books. The team is done in Santa Barbara, and will return to Los Angeles to begin preseason play on Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings in Anaheim. However, despite all of the positive vibes that came out of the team’s week away, the big headline of the week in some circles was Byron Scott’s comments to TMZ on his lack of a relationship with D’Angelo Russell. Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin debated whether or not Lakers fans should even pay attention to Scott anymore (as well as the aforementioned positive vibes) on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, but there finally seems to be hope on the horizon. The positivity is positively flowing out of the first week of the team’s camp in Santa Barbara, and hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin couldn’t think of a better person to discuss the state of the team with than the radio voice of the Lakers, John Ireland. Which member of the young core is most likely to break out? Should the team consider trading a package of them for an established star like DeMarcus Cousins? Harrison and Anthony discussed all of that, plus what goes into calling a game winner, his favorite story about Shaquille O’Neal, and much more with John on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.