The Los Angeles Lakers are returning just three players from last season’s squad, and one of those players is not deluding himself about how long the team-building process will take.
Lakers star Anthony Davis spoke with reporters on Sunday after the team lost to the Phoenix Suns to fall to 0-4 on the preseason. Davis surprisingly admitted that the Lakers could struggle to start the regular season as well.
“We want to be good, but we don’t want to skip steps,” he said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “You can’t rush the process of what we’re trying to do and win championships. We know, possibly, there could be struggles to start the season. But we never wanna get out to a slow start — 0-5, 0-6, whatever. We still want to be able to fight through our mistakes while winning games.”
While the Lakers’ Big Three of Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook has yet to play together, the early returns have not been encouraging. The team has a minus-74 point differential in their four preseason losses. In addition, they have already lost two rotation players in Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker to fairly significant injuries.
On the bright side, the Lakers do seem to be taking their preparation for the season very seriously. With so many new pieces to integrate, they may have to take a page out of the Philadelphia 76ers’ book and trust the process.
Photo: Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
