Locked on Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers might have lost the battle to the Washington Wizards, but they won the war on the rest of the NBA today, as they announced Magic Johnson would be coming back to the organization in an advisory role. To start the show, Harrison and I react to the game in DC as it was a legitimately fun one to watch. The Lakers played a legitimate playoff team tough right up until the last couple possessions and it’s hard not to feel like the team is making some actual progress. Then, as mentioned above, we absolutely had to talk about Magic, and while everyone is spending their time covering his playing career, we decided to go in a different direction. Finally, as Magic is now back and James Worthy is working as the Lakers’ post-game analyst, what better time to figure out which members of the Showtime Lakers should come back and what jobs they should have. This was a fun show.

Out of a dark stretch of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season, a bright sign of hope has emerged. (Somewhat) shockingly, it hasn’t been one of the team’s numerous lottery picks, but second-round seven-footer Ivica Zubac. The Croatian big man has burst out of the D-League and into the Lakers’ rotation, and he’s played well enough for the question to be asked: With the Lakers careening towards the lottery again, should Zubac be starting? Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin shared that, as well as their thoughts on how the rest of the rotations should shake out when Julius Randle returns, on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Hey! The Los Angeles Lakers won a basketball game! D’Angelo Russell returned to the starting lineup, lit up the Denver Nuggets and picked up a big win before the team heads out for the Grammy trip. Oh, and that Ivica Zubac kid had the fans rolling again, which is always fun. Back to Russell, though. I had an interesting theory pop up as he was playing tonight. His vision is simply too good to not rack up assists at a higher rate. But why might that be? I touch on that, and harken back to Chris Paul’s time at Wake Forest to do so. Then, when talking about Zubac, I mention how it isn’t quite fair to have his success paint Timofey Mozgov’s contract in a more negative light. There’s plenty else to talk about there without necessarily going into logical leaps that might not make sense. Other topics include Russell/Zubac pick-and-rolls, why wins are still important and plenty more.

Everyone knows that the Los Angeles Lakers have a gaggle of promising young players, but no one knows what they are yet. Is Brandon Ingram the NBA’s next prototypical wing scorer, or will he hold more of a ball-handling role? What position will D’Angelo Russell ultimately end up playing? Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he doesn’t think it matters, and after hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin gave updates on the Lakers’ health situation, the two tried to read into Kupchak’s newest comments on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a slump of late, dropping eight of their last nine games. which has led to a lot of talk of tanking around the team (on this show included). While lottery luck is now a possibility, it doesn’t mean there aren’t fun things to look forward to as the Lakers enter the second half of their season. So with 32 games left in their 2016-17 campaign, what positives can Lakers fans look for from the purple and gold? Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin shared what lineups, potential moves, and individual player performances they want to see from the Los Angeles on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are freaking out about a rookie. The kid in this case: Brandon Ingram. He was really quiet Thursday night and has been for a little while now, but this is still insanely early in the process to make a definitive statement on him. The show starts with me complimenting Ivica Zubac for his continued stellar play. He finished Thursday night with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Utah’s physical frontline. What’s been the key to his success? I discuss. Conversely, the key to Zubac’s success has actually been part of the driving force of Ingram’s current rut. What has Zubac been doing that Ingram has been having trouble with? In a more fun question, I answer whether someone should buy a Zubac or Ingram jersey. THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU!

The Los Angeles Lakers lost yet again, but that isn’t news anymore. No, it’s time for social media’s favorite pastime: talking about the future of Julius Randle. Oh, and the starting lineup. That has to come up, too. Before all of that, Harrison and Anthony bring up yet another unfortunate truth of the Jim Buss era: The Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng contracts have not been... how do you put it... good. Are they another nail in Jim’s metaphorical coffin? The guys agree on this one. Where they somewhat disagree is on how best to handle the starting lineup. They both think a couple tweaks should be made, but which ones they go with slightly differ from each other. From there, they take up the Randle conversation, which seems to grip Lakers Twitter like few other things. I came up with a theory on why people seem to ride such a roller coaster when it comes to Randle.

Against all odds, the Los Angeles Lakers might be in line to keep their top-three protected 2017 first-round draft pick from conveying to the Philadelphia 76ers for the third straight year. But if the team is fortunate enough to hold on to their pick again, who should they select? To answer that question, host Harrison Faigen was joined by resident Silver Screen and Roll draft encyclopedia Ben Rosales. The two talked about players like Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, Lonzo Ball, and much more (including some second round options) on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Before they get to the draft stuff, the guys also discussed what they want to see from the rest of the Lakers’ season and if Ben is fully on board the tank.

Man. I go on one little vacation and come back to arguably the worst loss in a few seasons of some pretty bad losses. It was the kind of game that forces fans to question all kinds of things, but for the purpose of talking points on the show, the Los Angeles Lakers drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks means it time to start talking about tanking. *takes an otherworldly sigh* Anthony and Harrison start by wondering why this tank job feels more painful than the others. This might shock you completely, but Harrison didn’t quite get where I was going with that point, but I promise there was a point to be made. Then, we talk about how tanking does have to have such a negative connotation. One might think tanking is rooting against the team, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case this time around. And finally, we get a Smush Parker update!

To call the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Dallas Mavericks a beat down would be understating things. The team lost 122-73, a 49-point drubbing that ranks as the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. There were no positives to take away from this, so host Harrison Faigen and Bryant Freese of Silver Screen and Roll tried to answer what the heck went so wrong for the purple-and-gold on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. Plus, the two discussed Jose Calderon’s play and Harrison gave his latest hot take to close out the show.

Early in the NBA season when the Los Angeles Lakers were surprising people and the Indiana Pacers were failing to live up to expectations, there was speculation about whether or not Paul George could become disgruntled enough to ask for a trade. Since then, both team’s situations have changed. The streaking Pacers have won seven of their last eight games, and host Harrison Faigen was joined by Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows and Locked on Pacers to discuss Friday’s game between the two teams and whether or not George is happier in Indiana now on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers. The two also discussed Ivica Zubac’s recent play and which team will win the Lakers-Pacers game on Friday. Before bringing on Tom, Harrison gives an update on the All-Star game and Larry Nance, Jr.’s injury status.

With the Los Angeles Lakers mired in futility, the biggest story (figuratively and literally) around the team has been the play of Ivica Zubac. The rookie seven-footer has impressed just about everyone who’s watched him play over the last several days, and left most asking the same question: What is Zubac’s ceiling? To discuss the tear Zubac is on, host Harrison Faigen was joined by Bryant Freese (who covers the Los Angeles D-Fenders for Silver Screen and Roll). The two broke down what they’ve seen from Zubac since he’s come to the Lakers, what they think he can improve, and whether or not he has earned a role in the rotation going forward. Tune in for that, plus an update on the health of Larry Nance, Jr., on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles’ Lakers horrible defense doomed them to defeat against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Despite that, the Lakers almost came back, and with both teams having a young, rebuilding nucleus in place, it likely won’t be the last hard fought game we witness between the two franchises over the next few years. Which team will win more of those games, and which roster is better set up for the future? Host Anthony Irwin debated that, and tons of other stuff, with Adam Mares of Denver Stiffs and Locked on Nuggets on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Detroit Pistons handed the Los Angeles Lakers their 30th loss of the year on Sunday night despite only outscoring the purple and gold by just two points in the final quarter. D’Angelo Russell played just under three minutes in that final frame, something that’s been a trend this season. Should Russell be getting more playing time? Is it time to criticize Luke Walton for some of late-game rotation decisions? Hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin discussed that and the rest of their takeaways from the loss on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers got beat down by the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. There weren’t many positives for the game (outside of it not being on national TV, no players being attacked by bats, and Ivica Zubac giving the team some good minutes), so hosts Harrison Faigen and Anthony Irwin discussed whether or not they think the Lakers could learn anything from the patience Spurs executive have shown. The two also shared their thoughts on Zubac’s play, why the Spurs are such a bad matchup for the Lakers, and more on the latest episode of Locked on Lakers.