The Los Angeles Lakers won their first game of the 2024-2025 season, beating last year’s conference final team, the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103.
The Lakers opened up the season after not making many off-season roster changes, but adding new head coach JJ Reddick.
We will now take a look at five takeaways from the Lakers win that caught our eye.
Los Angeles Lakers Are More Aggressive On Defense
The Los Angeles Lakers brought attention to detail on the defensive side against the Timberwolves. Multiple players dove for loose balls and were awarded with steals through hustle plays.
Los Angeles forced 15 turnovers and blocked 8 shots, three coming from Anthony Davis. Davis dominated on the glass with 16 rebounds, 13 of them being on the other end finishing defensive plays. Minnesota was held to 41.2% field goal shooting throughout the game.
Anthony Davis Is Set For An MVP Candidate Year
Anthony Davis was everywhere for the Lakers, finishing with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks as previously mentioned. Davis was unstoppable inside, making tough shots and getting to the line.
LeBron James, who is the oldest player in the NBA at 39, seemed to take even more of a backseat in the season opener to allow Davis to be the primary force of the team.
Also Read: Los Angeles Lakers Schedule, Roster, How To Watch
Davis is coming off an underrated last season, where he played 76 games, the most of his career, averaging 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds.
If he is able to stay durable for a similar amount of games with this production, Davis could be a top contender for winning the MVP award.
Austin Reeves, D’Angelo Russell, And Rui Hachimura Will Battle For Third Spot
The Lakers saw good production from within its starting lineup with Reeves, Russell, and Hachimura. Hachimura was a highly efficient scorer for Los Angeles, scoring 18 on 50% shooting.
Reeves provided some important scoring as well, including a shot that put the Lakers up 10 with 2 minutes remaining in the game.
Russell, who was a topic of trade discussion last year and in the offseason, facilitated the ball well to teammates and finished with 5 assists, a team-high.
These three will primarily attempt to fill the role of a third spot behind the Davis and James duo.
Lakers Desperately Need Depth
Coach JJ Reddick relied heavily on his starters, and all Lakers starters played at least 34 minutes. When Reddick looked to the bench, not much came from it.
Rookie Dalton Knecht, who exploded for 35 points and 8 threes in a preseason game against Phoenix, was more tame for the season opener.
Related: LeBron And Bronny James Make History
The Los Angeles Lakers are still hoping to see more improvements in shot selection from third-year player Max Christie.
Although Los Angeles’ bench saw limited production, Lakers big Jaxson Hayes brought down lobs off pick-and-rolls with 10 points on 15 minutes of play.
The Lakers will need to explore more options regarding their depth for the remaining 81-game season and beyond.
Need Better Shot Consistency
Although the Lakers shot well from inside with 72 points in the paint and 17 fast break points, the three-point shooting was an area of concern in the game.
Los Angeles shot 16.75% from behind the arc, making only 5 threes through the finish. This could be brushed off as an off-shooting night, but if the Lakers plan on taking a high volume of three-pointers, then the shot consistency will need to improve.
The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Phoenix Suns on Friday, October 25 as they try to go 2-0.