Opening night in the NBA is a special one for the defending champions. The Golden State Warriors experienced that for the fourth time in eight years as they were able to hoist another championship banner and received their rings before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sometimes, the team celebrating a championship win can come out a little flat, taking in all of the festivities. That wasn’t the case with the experienced Warriors, who controlled the game against the Lakers throughout and rode things out to a 123-109 victory. Golden State really took control of the game in the third quarter, which they won 32-19.
It was a tough debut for Darvin Ham, who took over the Lakers’ head coaching job this season, replacing Frank Vogel. He has his work cut out for him as this just isn’t a very strong roster outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Starting your season against the defending champions isn’t an easy task, but it shows just how far the Lakers have to go to compete with the best. What other takeaways were there from the game? Let’s highlight four others from the opening night matchup.
How Long Until LeBron James Re-Writes Record Books?
Father Time is undefeated, but LeBron James is giving him a run for his money. You would never know that James is starting his 20th season in the NBA and when you take into account the number of playoff and international games he has played, it is closer to his 24th season in the NBA games-wise.
Despite that, he is still arguably the most dominant player every time he takes the court. He is on a quest to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and if he keeps playing as he did against the Warriors, he will be there in no time.
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James poured in 31 points on 12-of-25 from the field, making only 3-of-10 from 3-point range. He did make all four free throw attempts, which was encouraging. He also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with eight assists. The league’s record books are being rewritten by him and as long as he remains healthy, it will be tough for his numbers to be matched.
Warriors Bench Dominates
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that his stars would be on a minutes limit at the beginning of the season. After having a shortened offseason because of the NBA Finals victory, it makes sense for the veterans to be eased into the season. When you have blowouts like on Tuesday night, it makes that plan much easier to execute.
This is also a way for Kerr to figure out his rotation and which players deserve minutes. Guys will get a chance in the early going to prove themselves and there were multiple standouts from the bench unit.
Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green are likely locked into roles. They played well against the Lakers, scoring 12, eight and eight points respectively. Those three are the nucleus of the bench, but it could be taken to new heights by the young guys.
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James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga are going to be given a chance to prove themselves. Wiseman was a standout in Game 1, scoring eight points with seven rebounds in 17 minutes. Kuminga is a little further down the pecking order but should be motivated after Stephen A. Smith called out his work ethic.
Overall, this unit is among the best in the NBA. They should find plenty of success with a nice blend of proven veterans and high-upside youngsters.
Los Angeles Needs Shooting Badly
Throughout his career, teams that were built around LeBron James had a tried and true strategy. If you surrounded him with two-way shooters, your team would find success. For whatever reason, Rob Pelinka has tried re-inventing the wheel since the Lakers won the 2020 Championship in the Orlando Bubble. He has failed to put a well-versed group of players around James and the issues persist this season.
The Lakers are in desperate need of shooters and floor spacers. The starting lineup around James combined to shoot 2-14 from 3-point range and that just isn’t going to cut it. Los Angeles is void of 3-point shooters, as the team went 10-of-40 overall.
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A trade needs to happen sooner than later before things get off the rails again. Pelinka should be on the phone with the Indiana Pacers constantly asking what it would take to bring in at least Buddy Hield, possibly Myles Turner with him. Both players can space the floor and would help balance out the lineup.
Hield would thrive playing off of James and Anthony Davis, while Turner’s presence would mean that Davis can slide over to power forward full-time, where he has continually voiced that being his preference.
Warriors May Have Best Starting Lineup In NBA
Chemistry and cohesion are extremely important in the NBA. If you are able to build that, you will have a leg up on your competition on most nights. While talent is important, teamwork can outweigh that, especially in the marathon regular season.
The Warriors have both. While numerous teams have massive amounts of turnover with their roster every season, the Warriors have been as successful as they have been because they kept their core together. The program has remained the same since Kerr took over as head coach, as they find players that fit their needs and plug them right into the lineup.
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The starting five of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney have remarkable chemistry and tons of talent. They showed that on their path to the NBA Finals last season and will continue showing it this season.
Given their two-way play and perfect fit, as they operate as a single entity, this is the best starting five in the NBA. The Lakers were the first team and certainly not the last team to get steamrolled by them this season.
