<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-jj-redick-calls-out-lakers-going-rogue-vs-warriors');   ga('set', 'title', 'JJ Redick calls out Lakers for going rogue vs. Warriors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/JJ-Redick-calls-out-LA-for-going-rogue-vs.-Warriors.jpg"></figure><h1>JJ Redick calls out Lakers for going rogue vs. Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T23:48:09-07:00">October 15th, 11:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-16T05:30:09-07:00">October 16th, 5:30am</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Golden State Warriors 111-97 in their preseason matchup on Tuesday. Anthony Davis paced the team with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie Dalton Knecht came second with 19 points, another promising showing for the rookie. However, Golden State’s shot-making proved too much for the Purple and Gold, who couldn’t make enough shots to counter. Likewise, coach JJ Redick called out the Lakers for free-styling against the Warriors.</p><p>In <a href="https://x.com/jovanbuha/status/1846409334038618207" rel="noopener">a postgame interview</a>, the coach “pointed to the Lakers’ off-ball coverages as one of their primary struggles tonight,” per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha on X, formerly Twitter. Likewise, Redick added that “when the team followed its pregame instructions, they were successful. When they didn’t, the Warriors made them pay.”</p><p>“When we made stuff up, they hurt us,” the coach said.</p><h2><b>The Lakers need to figure it out</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/JJ-Redick-coaching-a-game.jpg"><figcaption>© David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Losing a preseason game isn’t a major cause for concern, but how the Lakers lost to the Warriors troubled JJ Redick for good reason.</p><p>For instance, making things up on offense was one of their worst habits from last season, which caused them to lose too many winnable games, many against lesser teams. Even Redick caught on to this tendency before the Lakers hired him after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-hired-head-coach-after-dan-hurley-fiasco">whole Dan Hurley fiasco</a>.</p><p>During an NBA Summer League broadcast, the rookie head coach talked about the team’s offensive efficiency while running sets.</p><p>“If you look at the efficiency numbers when you look at [the Lakers] playing ‘random’ vs in sets, the sets had a higher efficiency,” Redick said.</p><p>Meanwhile, his comments about the team playing “random” dovetailed with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-anthony-davis-lakers-firing-darvin-ham">Anthony Davis’ complaints about Darvin Ham</a> during their first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets last season.</p><p>It was a series where these habits bit the Lakers, who led for most of its minutes but couldn’t pull out the win because they started playing undisciplined basketball on both sides of the ball.</p><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-jamal-murrays-crazy-game-winner-completes-denvers-20-point-game-2-comeback-vs-lakers">Lakers lost Game 2 of that series</a>, Davis criticized Ham’s offensive coaching, however indirectly.</p><p>“We’ve also had stretches where <a href="https://lakersnation.com/anthony-davis-lakers-have-stretches-where-they-dont-know-what-theyre-doing/" rel="noopener">we don’t know what we’re doing</a> on both ends of the floor,” the Lakers big man said, via Ron Gutterman for Lakers Nation.</p><p>In response, the former coach downplayed his remarks, which might have finally lost him the locker room, convincing the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/los-angeles-lakers-darvin-ham-fired-lebron-james-anthony-davis-rob-pelinka">Lakers to fire Darvin Ham</a> in the offseason. While unlearning bad habits takes time, the Lakers might not have enough of it as the preseason winds down, and they start to face teams in actual competitive games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

JJ Redick calls out Lakers for going rogue vs. Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-rich-paul-dives-development-lebron-james-relationship');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rich Paul dives into development of LeBron James relationship');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rich-Paul-dives-into-development-of-LeBron-James-relationship.jpg"></figure><h1>Rich Paul dives into development of LeBron James relationship</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T23:11:37-07:00">October 15th, 11:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T23:11:37-07:00">October 15th, 11:11pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hoops fans following the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-response-joining-steph-curry-kevin-durant-team-usa"> greatness of LeBron James</a> cannot tell the full story without including the partnership with Rich Paul. The pair of industry power brokers have known each other for over two decades. The journey that started with the Cleveland Cavaliers and brought a couple of titles to the Miami Heat is still going. Thankfully, the family dream came true with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-bronny-james-grabs-attention-off-the-court-move">Bronny James Jr. and the attention-grabbing Los Angeles Lakers.</a></p><p>LeBron’s legacy is more than just wins, losses, and points scored. Paul reflected on what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDiPchkXoPY&amp;t=860s" rel="noopener">made the partnership work</a> while on Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero’s  “7 PM In Brooklyn” show.</p><p>“Anyways, the partnership. We’ve all grown as men. We were kids and we’ve grown,” Paul began. “And I told him [LeBron] 20 years ago, we can’t let the industry do what I know they like to do to us, right? That shit is corny. (There should be) no beef in sports among millionaires playing a game.”</p><p>Paul emphasized the importance of avoiding unnecessary conflicts in sports, especially among millionaires trying to build a brand worth million-dollar collaborations.</p><p>“They love to play and make you believe that their value is more than it actually is. They’re going to drive a wedge amongst competition so guys don’t communicate,” explained Paul. “So that way you don’t collaborate and then you don’t compound together for their benefit.”</p><p>The James-Paul relationship has evolved significantly over the years. Paul recalled a well-known story about how he was positioned to be a leading voice in LeBron Enterprises.</p><p>“Our relationship has evolved a ton from someone who gave me an opportunity just in general, to someone who believed that I actually could represent them,” recalled Paul. “I didn’t start representing him [LeBron] until his ninth year in the league, to business partners.”</p><h2><b>LeBron James, JJ Redick leading Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LeBron-James-and-Rich-Paul-watch-a-game.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>LeBron’s coaches know what Paul found out. Sometimes that meant having difficult conversations.</p><p>“He supported me in everything I do, and think about it, I’ve gone against the grain in certain things, but the support is still there because he knows the entrepreneur at heart,” Paul said. “They trust me and they trust my business acumen and they trust that I’m also going to give it the real no matter what, if it’s got to be the hard conversation, it’s going to be the hard conversation.”</p><p>“With LJ [LeBron James] we brothers, we don’t have the same moms, but we might as well at this point,” continued Paul. “People try to tell you or try to show you that you should be thankful for the opportunity that was given by shortchanging you for your added value, for your expertise. We don’t play those games with each other. All we’ve ever tried to do was lead by example and we’ll continue to do that. The people that pick up, they pick up those that don’t, they get left behind. That’s just how it works.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rich Paul dives into development of LeBron James relationship

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-bronny-james-shares-life-changing-admission-after-health-scare');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Bronny James shares life-changing admission after health scare');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-news-Bronny-Jame-shares-life-changing-admission-after-health-scare.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Bronny James shares life-changing admission after health scare</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T23:11:29-07:00">October 15th, 11:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T23:11:29-07:00">October 15th, 11:11pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The worst-kept secret of the NBA Draft was that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-bronny-james-grabs-attention-off-the-court-move">Los Angeles Lakers would select the attention-grabbing LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr.</a> after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-new-contract-gets-major-update">LeBron James signed a contract extension</a>. Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario was hard to ignore after James Jr. fell out during a college practice. A cardiac arrest emergency was eventually diagnosed as a treatable heart defect but the episode had everyone worried about the young man’s life, not his next basketball game.</p><p>The world-famous 20-year-old admitted <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a62490236/bronny-james-interview/" rel="noopener">things have not been the same</a> in an interview with Hanif Abdurraqib of Men’s Health magazine.</p><p>“My days aren’t normal anymore,” James Jr. revealed. “I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was.”</p><p>As for what helps?</p><p>“I got my heart pillow,” shared James Jr. “When I coughed, it used to hurt a little bit, but you get this pillow, and when you cough you just hold it so it doesn’t hurt.”</p><h2><b>Bronny James Jr. built for Lakers’ leap</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bronny-James-Jr.-and-LeBron-James-joke-around.jpg"><figcaption>Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The leap from the PAC-12’s USC Trojans to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers was always going to be a challenge for any second-round pick. Being the son of a future Hall of Famer who just got a podcast partner hired as head coach is a totally different set of adjustments.</p><p>Bronny Jr. is learning quickly that those driveway drives against Dad are not the same as those in the Lakers’ practice facility. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-bronny-james-reveals-confidence-fix-preseason-scoring-drought">James Jr. has not been phased</a> despite some unspectacular performances this preseason.</p><p>“Everything I’ve been through over the years has prepared me for this,” Bronny Jr. stated. “I really think it just ties back to me experiencing so much negativity and pushing through all of that. I feel like it built me to where any situation that is trying to hold me back or I’m not fighting through at the time, I can sustain my comfortability and belief in myself to keep going.”</p><p>“I mean, there might be a couple of times that I look at something and it makes me mad,” James Jr. added. “I go out and play better but most of the time it’s in through one, out the other.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Bronny James shares life-changing admission after health scare

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-cameras-catch-buddy-hields-hilarious-reaction-to-lebron-james-shot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cameras catch Warriors guard Buddy Hield’s hilarious reaction to LeBron James’ shot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-news-Cameras-catch-Buddy-Hields-hilarious-reaction-to-LeBron-James-shot.jpg"></figure><h1>Cameras catch Warriors guard Buddy Hield’s hilarious reaction to LeBron James’ shot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T21:26:02-07:00">October 15th, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T21:26:02-07:00">October 15th, 9:26pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason clash that had more buzz to it than usual. The stars of both teams (Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis) were all active for the night, which should provide some major entertainment for fans regardless of rooting interest. But for the players themselves, defending players of that caliber is rarely fun — which was evident in the way <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-reveals-klay-thompson-plan-for-buddy-hield">Buddy Hield reacted to a bonkers shot from James</a>.</p><p>With the shot clock winding down with a little over a minute to go in the first half, James looked to bail out a Lakers offense that was going nowhere by drawing a foul on Buddy Hield, who was closing out hard on his jumpshot. The Warriors guard, however, avoided any contact with James whatsoever. This forced James to double-clutch his shot, making the attempt very difficult. But James makes even the impossible look easy, as he banked home the triple.</p><p>At this point, no one should be surprised at what James is capable of on a basketball court. But for Hield, he was downright perplexed, as seen <a href="https://twitter.com/bballbreakdown/status/1846387338600939928" rel="noopener">in his facial expression,</a> by how the Lakers star continues to dazzle despite turning 40 years old in two months.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are all Buddy <a href="https://t.co/VCl89OZp2S">pic.twitter.com/VCl89OZp2S</a></p><p>— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/bballbreakdown/status/1846387338600939928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James is truly capable of feats on the basketball court that would make fans’ jaws drop. But to elicit that kind of a reaction from Hield, a professional basketball player who is more desensitized to these incredible shots? That simply means that the Lakers star operates on a different level. His longevity is unparalleled.</p><p>In the end, it was Hield and the Warriors that got the last laugh in preseason action, taking a 111-97 win. This was the case even though Curry did not have the best of nights from the field (6-18 for 16 points). Meanwhile, James only played 23 minutes on the night as he and the Lakers ramp up for regular season action.</p><p>The Warriors have one more preseason game to go before the regular-season begins, and they will be ending their exhibition season with another game against the Lakers.</p><h2><b>Buddy Hield lets it fly for the Warriors in preseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-Buddy-Hield-reacts-during-a-preseason-game.jpg"></figure><p>When the Warriors lost Klay Thompson, it didn’t take long for them to bring in someone who could help replace the three-point void that was left behind. Buddy Hield is the rare player who can say that his three-point production rivals that of Thompson’s and even Stephen Curry’s, and during preseason, he has shown how explosive of a marksman he can be.</p><p>Entering Tuesday night, Hield has shot 13-22 from beyond the arc in four preseason games. His movement off the ball makes him a perfect fit for the Warriors’ system, and the attention he commands from the perimeter will surely cause headaches for the opposition.</p><p>Now, during the Warriors’ preseason win over the Lakers, Hield’s shot was off; he made just two of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. But Hield is showing that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-buddy-hield-fiery-form-kings-social-media-buzz">Warriors got themselves a legitimate flamethrower</a> who can torch the nets alongside Curry.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cameras catch Warriors guard Buddy Hield’s hilarious reaction to LeBron James’ shot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-bronny-james-grabs-attention-off-the-court-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Bronny James grabs attention with off-the-court move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-news-Bronny-James-grabs-attention-with-off-the-court-move.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Bronny James grabs attention with off-the-court move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T18:16:12-07:00">October 15th, 6:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T18:35:56-07:00">October 15th, 6:35pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is making the most of the offseason, gracing the cover of the latest issue of Men’s Health magazine. As the cover model, the younger James gives an interview about playing with his superstar father LeBron James, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/usc-basketball-news-lebron-james-son-bronny-suffers-cardiac-arrest-trojans-workout">his cardiac arrest at USC</a>, and improving himself as a basketball player.</p><p>You can check out the Men’s Health cover <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1846321089825083786" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p><h2><b>The new Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bronny-James-at-shootaround-with-LeBron-James.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While it sounds strange for the 55th overall pick Bronny James to get so much media attention, even a Men’s Health cover, it comes with the territory of being LeBron James’ son and playing for the Lakers.</p><p>People making claims of nepotism must remember that as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-2024-nba-draft-grade-for-bronny-james">second-round pick, Bronny James</a> won’t see any meaningful regular season minutes, and the Lakers would likely send him down to the G League to get some reps and learn to play at NBA speed.</p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-johnson-provides-bronny-james-advice-for-upcoming-lakers-season">Magic Johnson advised Bronny</a> to stay in the G League for a while, too. Bronny isn’t a superstar out of high school like his father was, but then very few athletes are like LeBron in the first place.</p><p>However, despite being undersized, he already has the defensive tools as a point guard, per new coach JJ Redick. He will need to sharpen those tools while developing an offensive arsenal, particularly outside shooting, if he wants to stay in the NBA.</p><p>At this point, he could become similar to Derek Fisher, a valuable part of championship teams who had impressive basketball IQ, who could defend at a high level and make big-time shots.</p><p>After all, LeBron won’t play forever, and the novelty of teaming father-and-son together has already faded. The younger James will have to earn his spot on the Lakers, or another team, by the dint of his own effort.</p><h2><b>Ready to go</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, besides Bronny James, the other Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht looks more NBA-ready as the season comes closer. Against the Milwaukee Bucks, Knecht played a team-high 34 minutes and also took a team-high 16 shots, finishing with 13 points.</p><p>The Lakers’ No. 17 pick will be part of the team’s rotation going forward, hence JJ Redick and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dalton-knecht-reveals-lebron-james-stance-amid-rookies-ugly-shooting">LeBron’s insistence that Knecht shoot</a> as much as possible in the preseason.</p><p>“LeBron <a href="https://lakersnation.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-encouraged-dalton-knecht-to-keep-shooting-vs-bucks/" rel="noopener">was telling me</a> just keep shooting it, he didn’t care what I shoot,” Knecht said, via Ron Gutterman of Lakers Nation. “Same with JJ, they said they don’t really care what I shoot and just keep putting them up, keep letting them fly.”</p><p>While Knecht only shot 5/16 against the Bucks, the fact that the coaching staff and team captain trusted him to take that many shots speaks to the confidence the team has in the rookie.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Bronny James grabs attention with off-the-court move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-rich-paul-brushes-off-lebron-james-warriors-trade-report');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rich Paul brushes off Lakers’ LeBron James-Warriors trade report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rich-Paul-brushes-off-LeBron-James-Warriors-trade-report.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Rich Paul brushes off Lakers’ LeBron James-Warriors trade report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T14:50:03-07:00">October 15th, 2:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T14:50:03-07:00">October 15th, 2:50pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul r<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDiPchkXoPY&amp;t=860s" rel="noopener">ecently shut down rumors</a> of a potential trade involving <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rich-pauls-role-in-scrapping-lakers-warriors-lebron-james-trade-talks">Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors</a> during an appearance on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, hosted by NBA legend Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero. Paul’s comments quickly put an end to any speculation, reinforcing that James is committed to the Lakers heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.</p><p>The Kid Mero brought up the rumors, citing reports from the previous season that suggested the Warriors had expressed interest in acquiring James. Paul was quick to dismiss the notion, stating, “We got to stop that, guys come on now,” brushing aside the speculation with little hesitation.</p><p>The rumors, which first emerged in an <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/all-the-latest-around-the-league" rel="noopener">August report by NBA insider Marc Stein</a>, suggested that discussions regarding a potential trade involving James had occurred, with key figures such as Warriors owner Joe Lacob, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, and Warriors forward Draymond Green involved. However, Stein’s report also indicated that the talks did not advance far, largely due to Paul’s firm resistance. According to Stein, Paul was “adamantly opposed to the idea,” concerned about safeguarding James’ legacy and public image.</p><h2><b>Rich Paul dismisses the LeBron James’ Lakers trade rumors with the Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LeBron-James-23-drives-to-the-basket-against-Milwaukee-Bucks-forward-Taurean-Prince.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When The Kid Mero pressed further, referencing previous comments from Draymond Green that suggested Paul had squashed any potential deal, Paul quickly redirected the conversation. “Man, I’m not even paying attention to that first [part],” Paul said, making it clear he wasn’t interested in entertaining the trade talk. “We’re not even going to have that conversation.”</p><p>Paul’s swift dismissal on the podcast aligns with his long-standing commitment to preserving LeBron James’ career trajectory and legacy in Los Angeles. As James’ agent since 2012, Paul has played a pivotal role in guiding James’ career, including his move to the Lakers in 2018.</p><p>With the 2024-25 season fast approaching, the Lakers are once again entering the year with championship aspirations, and James remains at the center of those plans. Paul’s comments further underscore that any talk of a trade to the Warriors, or any other team, is far from reality. The Lakers, led by James and Anthony Davis, are focused on contending for another title, with no signs of a roster shake-up involving their franchise cornerstone.</p><p>LeBron James, who will be entering his 22nd NBA season, continues to aim for another championship run with the Lakers, and any rumors of a move to Golden State appear firmly off the table following Paul’s remarks.</p><p>The podcast also touched upon another topic of interest — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-rich-paul-sets-record-straight-on-ny-beef">Rich Paul’s alleged “beef” with the New York Knicks</a>, which he clarified as well, dismissing any ongoing tension between Klutch Sports and the franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rich Paul brushes off Lakers’ LeBron James-Warriors trade report

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-best-trade-options-upgrade-center-depth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ best trade options to upgrade center depth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-best-trade-options-to-upgrade-center-depth.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ best trade options to upgrade center depth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T14:18:36-07:00">October 15th, 2:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T14:21:19-07:00">October 15th, 2:21pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>What will the Los Angeles Lakers look like during the 2024-25 season? This seems to be the question not only fans of the team are asking, but everyone around the NBA. Even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis still leading this legendary franchise, the Lakers face numerous question marks as a result of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-jj-redick-already-impressing-nba-scouts-key-questions-remain">JJ Redick being a first-year head coach</a> and all the media attention that surrounds Bronny James. Not to mention, the constant need for change and trade talks tends to dominate conversations pertaining to the Lakers.</p><p>Every offseason, numerous superstar and All-NBA talents are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-eyeing-donovan-mitchell-trae-young-trade-catch">connected to the Lakers in trade rumors</a>. This summer was no different, as Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, and Jimmy Butler were among the many names fans in Los Angeles threw around. Ultimately, Rob Pelinka and his front office held off on making any substantial changes to the roster in order for Redick to reform the confidence this team had when they won the first In-Season Tournament last December.</p><p>A trade will eventually form for the Lakers, as Pelinka is going to do everything he can to put his team in a championship position. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-exploring-center-trade-options">Lakers rumored to be searching the trade market for frontcourt upgrades</a> alongside Davis, it appears as if the team already has their eyes set on some potential targets.</p><p>Here are three trades that the Lakers can make in order to upgrade their depth in the frontcourt.</p><h2><b>Lakers add offseason trade target</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nick-Richards-vs.-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Los Angeles Lakers receive: C Nick Richards</i></p><p><i>Charlotte Hornets receive: G Jalen Hood-Schifino, F Cam Reddish, LAC 2025 2nd Round Pick (via LAL)</i></p><p>One of the players the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-lakers-involved-offseason-trade-pursuited-coveted-hornets-center">Lakers had eyes for this offseason</a> was Charlotte Hornets big man Nick Richards. Due to the fact that he is owed $10 million over the next two seasons, $5 million per year, Richards has suddenly become a coveted trade target for many teams around the league, not just the Lakers.</p><p>With the Hornets, Richards has proven to be a strong rebounder and finisher inside the paint. While he is not the most efficient defender, his ability to create energy in the second unit as a pick-and-roll center is what makes him a unique talent. The problem pertaining to trying to trade for Charlotte’s big man is that the team isn’t wanting to give him up.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-karl-anthony-towns-trade-helps-knicks-timberwolves-hornets">Despite helping facilitate the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster trade</a> with the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Hornets are not wanting to make trades just for the sake of making trades. Strategy is involved in all of their moves, and Charlotte is setting themselves up for long-term potential.</p><p>Richards has been a steady factor for the Hornets behind Mark Williams, who has been injured in recent seasons, which is why the organization did not show a ton of willingness to move on from him this offseason. After showing interest in Richards over the summer, the Lakers could potentially revisit these talks closer to the trade deadline.</p><p>The only problem with pursuing a trade with the Hornets is that Los Angeles doesn’t have much to barter with. Austin Reaves is not going to be moved, and it is safe to assume that Rui Hachimura is not going anywhere either unless there is an All-Star talent that is available. Cam Reddish and a second-round pick is not all that appealing to the Hornets, which is why Jalen Hood-Schifino is included in this hypothetical trade package.</p><p>Hood-Schifino, the 17th overall pick in 2023, is a lengthy guard that could be appealing to the Hornets as a long-term project. Then again, the Lakers are unlikely to move the second-year guard because they want to focus on developing their other young talents. That could be hard to do while also maintaining the mindset of being a title-contending team.</p><p>Another obstacle is the fact that Los Angeles is <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/cap/_/year/2024" rel="noopener">$45,001 below the second tax apron</a>, and they will need to match Richards’ incoming $5 million salary. The only feasible way to do so would be sending out Reddish, Hood-Schifino, and a second-round pick — a proposal that wouldn’t be all that attractive to the Hornets.</p><h2><b>All-Defensive center hits trade market</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Robert-Williams-III-posing-for-a-photo.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Los Angeles Lakers receive: C Robert Williams III</i></p><p><i>Portland Trail Blazers receive: G Gabe Vincent, F Cam Reddish, LAL 2025 2nd Round Pick, LAL 2027 2nd Round Pick</i></p><p>Perhaps the most intriguing player that will hit the trade market at some point over the course of the 2024-25 season is Robert Williams III. The Portland Trail Blazers are a rebuilding franchise, and they just drafted Donovan Clingan to pair with Deandre Ayton in the frontcourt. Where does that leave Williams, who is a former All-Defensive center that helped lead the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals?</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-robert-williams-iii-opens-up-difficult-road-back-injury">Unfortunately for Williams, he has been hurt in recent years</a>, and has been unable to showcase his talents since being traded from the Celtics. Last season, the 26-year-old center only played in six games due to right knee surgery to address ligament damage. Injuries have really limited Williams in recent years, as he has only played in 41 games since the start of the 2022-23 season.</p><p>When he was healthy and playing for the Celtics, Williams was a high-flying, athletic rim protector that was also tough to keep off the glass. Next to Davis, the Lakers simply need a player who can create second-chance scoring opportunities and be a factor defensively. If Williams was to go to Los Angeles and be the player he was two seasons ago, the Lakers would instantly have the best defensive frontcourt in the league.</p><p>The best part about pursuing Williams is that his price is at an all-time low as well. Portland can ask for anything they want, but the fact of the matter is that they have a third-string center who has not really played in full over the last two years. No team, including the Lakers, is going to be willing to offer anything more than second-round picks for this type of asset.</p><p>From Los Angeles’ point of view, things get a little more complicated than they would in a Nick Richards trade scenario because Williams is making $12.4 million this year. That means the Lakers would need to get more creative and find ways to send out more salary since they are right at the second-apron line. The only path to possibly grabbing Williams from Portland would be to trade Gabe Vincent and Reddish, which equates to $13.4 million in salary.</p><p>Whether or not the Blazers would have interest in this offer likely revolves around other moves they potentially plan on making. Would Portland look to flip Vincent to another team, or would he step into the mix with Anfernee Simons or another player possibly being traded? If the Blazers move on from Williams, it will definitely be a precursor to another lateral move.</p><h2><b>Kelly Olynyk gives Lakers stretch frontcourt player</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kelly-Olynyk-shooting.jpg"><figcaption>Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Los Angeles Lakers receive: F/C Kelly Olynyk</i></p><p><i>Toronto Raptors receive: G Gabe Vincent, MIL 2025 2nd Round Pick (via CLE), LAL 2027 2nd Round Pick</i></p><p><i>Cleveland Cavaliers receive: F Cam Reddish, LAC 2025 2nd Round Pick (via LAL)</i></p><p>Much like how the Lakers are destined to make a move at some point, we could say the same about the Toronto Raptors. After trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby last season, the Raptors have taken a slight step back and hit the reset button in order to retool their roster around Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. Jakob Poeltl is certainly a key talent on Toronto’s roster to discuss regarding possible trades, as is Bruce Brown.</p><p>But the one player on the Raptors that holds value to any playoff-contending team right now is Kelly Olynyk.</p><p>With several contending teams pursuing him while he was with the Utah Jazz last season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-jazz-raptors-4-player-trade-featuring-kelly-olynyk">Olynyk was ultimately traded to the Raptors</a> in what turned out to be the most head-scratching move made at the trade deadline by either team. Then again, Utah got a first-round pick for the 33-year-old, so they can’t complain all that much.</p><p>It is hard to imagine that Olynyk is in the Raptors’ long-term plans at the moment, especially since he is a role player in the frontcourt. Toronto is going to be looking to add future value in any way they can in trade talks this season, and Olynyk is once again going to be a player teams show interest in. The Lakers have held interest in Olynyk previously, which is why these conversations could once again be revisited.</p><p>Olynyk has played for three different teams over the last three years. In this span, he has averaged 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range. The best part about the veteran’s game is that he can hang out on the perimeter and not only knock down shots but also help facilitate the offense.</p><p>If there is one thing the Lakers need, it is frontcourt depth behind Davis, who can stretch the floor and be a catch-and-shoot option. That is exactly what Los Angeles would be getting with Olynyk.</p><p>Ultimately, the only way to make this type of scenario work would be to find a third team for Reddish, who the Raptors wouldn’t have much use for. The Cleveland Cavaliers are an interesting landing spot for a player like Reddish since he’s an athletic wing who should be a much better shooter than his numbers suggest. Since the Cavs have an open roster spot and were interested in adding another player on the wing this offseason, Reddish could make sense as a buy-low option.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ best trade options to upgrade center depth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-lebron-james-response-to-teaming-up-with-stephen-curry-again');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James’ blunt response to possibly teaming up with Stephen Curry again');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-blunt-response-to-possibly-teaming-up-with-Stephen-Curry-again.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>LeBron James’ blunt response to possibly teaming up with Stephen Curry again</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T12:45:43-07:00">October 15th, 12:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T12:45:43-07:00">October 15th, 12:45pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry gave basketball fans a tantalizing glimpse of a potential partnership this<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-hoping-for-more-experiences-with-lebron-james"> past summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics</a>. The two long-time rivals, who have faced off in four consecutive NBA Finals, joined forces to help Team USA secure its fourth consecutive gold medal.</p><p>James and Curry, despite their on-court rivalry, previously teamed up during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. However, their collaboration in Paris marked the first time they played together in a high-stakes, international competition. The pairing left many wondering whether the two future Hall of Famers might ever join forces again.</p><p>In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2024-10-14/lebron-james-savors-time-as-steph-curry-teammate" rel="noopener">Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times</a>, James was asked about the possibility of reuniting with Curry in the near future. His response was characteristically direct: “I have no idea,” James said. “I have no idea.”</p><p>The prospect of the two teaming up during the NBA regular season is unlikely. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-winning-proclamation-62-6-million-contract-extension">Curry recently signed a one-year contract extension</a> with the Warriors worth $62.6 million, ensuring he will remain in Golden State through the 2026-27 season. Meanwhile, James is preparing for his unprecedented 22nd NBA season with the Lakers, continuing to defy the limits of longevity in professional basketball.</p><h2><b>LeBron James reflects on Olympic team-up with Stephen Curry ahead of Lakers-Warriors preseason clash</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/LeBron-Curry-Celebrate-Team-USA.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Prior to Tuesday’s preseason matchup between the Lakers and Warriors, James reflected on his experience teaming up with Curry in Paris. The two stars were instrumental in leading Team USA to victory, and James shared his excitement about the opportunity to finally play alongside Curry in such a meaningful setting.</p><p>“It was everything and more. I was super excited to be able to finally team up with him in a win-or-die type atmosphere,” James said. “That’s what it was, being a part of the Olympics. It was everything that I dreamed of and aspired to want to be a part of that team, along with Steph. Great memories. Something that I’ll remember from my basketball career for the rest of my life, for sure.”</p><p>While the logistics of an NBA team-up between James and Curry remain improbable, their partnership in Paris has undoubtedly left a lasting impression. Both players, who have defined an era of basketball with their remarkable achievements, continue to demonstrate their mutual respect, even as they remain fierce competitors on the court.</p><p>As the 2024-25 NBA season approaches, fans may not see the two superstars team up again anytime soon, but their time together in Paris will remain a memorable chapter in their storied careers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ blunt response to possibly teaming up with Stephen Curry again

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-anthony-davis-lebron-james-warriors-trade-rumors-strange');   ga('set', 'title', 'Anthony Davis gives LeBron James to Warriors trade rumors ‘strange’ label');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Anthony-Davis-gives-LeBron-James-Warriors-trade-rumors-strange-label.jpg"></figure><h1>Anthony Davis gives LeBron James to Warriors trade rumors ‘strange’ label</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T12:29:40-07:00">October 15th, 12:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T12:29:40-07:00">October 15th, 12:29pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Anthony Davis recalls when the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-golden-state-made-shocking-effort-to-pull-off-lebron-james-trade-prior-to-deadline">Los Angeles Lakers nearly went through a wholesale change</a> at the 2023-2024 trade deadline that would have shaken up the entire league. The near-trade started with a rumor and ended with the Golden State Warriors attempting to send in an offer for LeBron James.</p><p>As the 2024-2025 season inches closer, Davis reflected on <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1846253120617435317" rel="noopener">the moment that he called “strange.”</a> The 31-year-old said that nothing about the rumor affected the team and was a mere abnormal afterthought for most of the players.</p><p>“I can’t remember how I heard about it, I think my dad called me,” Davis said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I don’t think it affected anything [but] I think that might’ve been the first time that [LeBron James has] been in trade talks in his career. That didn’t affect our team. It was definitely strange to hear in the sense of it was the first time he was talked about in a trade before.”</p><p>The rumors were confirmed when ESPN reported that the Warriors went all-in on pursuing the trade at the deadline but were shut down by both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rich-pauls-role-in-scrapping-lakers-warriors-lebron-james-trade-talks">Rob Pelinka and James’ agent, Rich Paul</a>. Golden State owner Joe Lacob reportedly reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to inquire about James’ availability before general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. took over.</p><p>James had no desire to leave Los Angeles and ended the season with Davis on the Lakers. In the offseason, the team selected his son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, effectively guaranteeing that he would remain with the team for the rest of his career.</p><h2>Anthony Davis prepares to enter sixth season with Lakers</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Anthony-Davis_2045bd.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Entering his 13th year in the NBA, Anthony Davis is gearing up for his sixth season with the Lakers in 2024-2025. Davis is coming off arguably his best season with the team, appearing in a career-high 76 regular season games.</p><p>Davis’ health has been a major storyline throughout his career, having never played a full 82-game season. His 76 games in his fifth season with the Lakers marked the first time he appeared in over 60 games since his first year with the team in 2019-2020.</p><p>Ahead of the upcoming season the Lakers made the biggest change to the team by hiring JJ Redick at head coach but kept most of their roster intact from the previous year. Davis is expected to begin the year in the frontcourt alongside Rui Hachimura and LeBron James, the same lineup they ended 2023-2024 with.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Davis gives LeBron James to Warriors trade rumors ‘strange’ label

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-bronny-james-reveals-confidence-fix-preseason-scoring-drought');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bronny James reveals ‘confidence’ fix to Lakers preseason scoring drought');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bronny-James-reveals-confidence-fix-to-preseason-scoring-drought.jpg"></figure><h1>Bronny James reveals ‘confidence’ fix to Lakers preseason scoring drought</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T12:19:48-07:00">October 15th, 12:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T12:20:24-07:00">October 15th, 12:20pm</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-shocking-stat-highlights-rookie-bronny-james-preseason-struggles">not having the best</a> NBA preseason. James is struggling to get the ball in the basket. He has a plan, however, on <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1846256110229246285" rel="noopener">how to fix it</a> as he gets more experience.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bronny James on his preseason so far: “I feel good. The numbers could be better. I just got to get my confidence up” <a href="https://t.co/wfPGXGsJhp">pic.twitter.com/wfPGXGsJhp</a></p><p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1846256110229246285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I want to grow my confidence and be more comfortable when I’m out there playing,” James said to reporters, per ESPN. “I just got to get my confidence up.”</p><p>James is fighting for a spot in the Lakers rotation this season. The rookie, who spent one year at USC, didn’t light the world on fire with his offense in college either. He averaged just 4.8 points per game with the Trojans, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-heartfelt-admission-while-watching-bronnys-usc-basketball-game">missed most of the season</a> due to a medical issue.</p><p>The rookie was selected as the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. His next chance to hit some shots will be on Tuesday, as his team takes on the Golden State Warriors in preseason action.</p><h2>Lakers face pressure to have a great 2024-25 season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nick-Richards-vs.-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Los Angeles finished the 2023-24 season with disappointment, after struggling in the postseason. The Lakers lost in the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>The team drafted James<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-demarcus-cousins-rips-la-selection-of-bronny-james"> in the second round</a> of the NBA Draft. He and his father LeBron James are the first father and son duo to<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reaction-historic-moment-with-bronny-james"> play together on the floor</a> at the same time, for the same team, in league history. Bronny will have to start clicking offensively in order to stay on the team’s roster. He’s in danger of having to go to the G League for the upcoming campaign.</p><p>Bronny is in danger mostly because of his performances this NBA preseason. He hasn’t scored at all in his last two game appearances, against the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. He’s averaging about 12 minutes a game in three appearances for the Lakers. Bronny’s plus-minus on the floor is also lagging; he’s got a plus-minus of -13 so far this preseason.</p><p>The rookie’s field goal percentage is at a mere 9 percent. That’s clearly an area where his team needs him to improve moving forward.</p><p>“I feel good. The numbers could be better but I got to get my confidence up,” Bronny added. “It’s a totally different game, especially out in arenas like this, the atmosphere and stuff like that.”</p><p>The Lakers start their season on October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Time will tell how many minutes Bronny will be able to see on the floor when things get going.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bronny James reveals ‘confidence’ fix to Lakers preseason scoring drought

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-demarcus-cousins-rips-la-selection-of-bronny-james');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMarcus Cousins rips Lakers selection of Bronny James');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DeMarcus-Cousins-rips-LAs-selection-of-Bronny-James.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>DeMarcus Cousins rips Lakers selection of Bronny James</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T09:02:16-07:00">October 15th, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T09:03:07-07:00">October 15th, 9:03am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMarcus Cousins, a former four-time NBA All-Star, didn’t hold back his criticism of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-bronny-nba-first-lakers-draft-pick">Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny James</a>, the son of LeBron James, in the second round of this past summer’s NBA Draft. In an appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back with host Michelle Beadle, Cousins expressed disappointment with the direction the Lakers have taken.</p><p>“I don’t think the Lakers are serious anymore,” Cousins said. “I love everything that it stands for. What Bron [LeBron] is doing with his legacy, just as a businessman and everything that comes with that — I think it’s a beautiful thing, I think it’s really dope. As far as the Lakers actually competing, I take that as a sign they aren’t really serious [about competing]. With the way their season ended last year… I expected more from them as far as making moves.”</p><p>Cousins’ <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1846199170010415584" rel="noopener">comments reflect his concern</a> about the Lakers’ current roster and their offseason decisions. Despite Bronny James being a highly touted prospect, Cousins suggested the Lakers may not be prioritizing winning as much as they have in previous years. The Lakers fell short in the 2023-24 season, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets, which Cousins indicated was a sign the team needed to make more substantial changes.</p><h2><b>DeMarcus Cousins dishes Lakers’ Bronny James criticisms</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LeBron-James-23-goofs-around-with-his-son-guard-Bronny-James-.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael McLoone-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>However, Cousins did express optimism about the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dalton-knecht-headlines-2024-nba-draft-1st-round-steals"> Lakers’ first-round pick, Dalton Knecht</a>. “I do like the kid from Tennessee that they drafted. I think he could be an instant impact player for them,” Cousins said. “But they have a lot of concerns last year that I don’t think really were addressed, and I didn’t really see those moves be made in the offseason.”</p><p>One of the major concerns Cousins could have referenced is the lack of a reliable big man to play alongside Anthony Davis. The Lakers have yet to make significant moves to bolster their frontcourt depth, which was an issue in the previous season. A report on Monday suggested that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-lakers-involved-offseason-trade-pursuited-coveted-hornets-center">Lakers were attempting to acquire Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards</a>, though no deal has been finalized.</p><p>Moreover, Cousins’ remarks add to ongoing conversations surrounding the Lakers’ offseason strategy, raising questions about whether the team is prepared to contend for a championship in the upcoming season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMarcus Cousins rips Lakers selection of Bronny James

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-jj-redick-already-impressing-nba-scouts-key-questions-remain');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ JJ Redick already impressing NBA scouts, but key questions remain');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-JJ-Redick-already-impressing-NBA-scouts-but-key-questions-remain.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ JJ Redick already impressing NBA scouts, but key questions remain</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T08:01:59-07:00">October 15th, 8:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T10:01:58-07:00">October 15th, 10:01am</time><address><a>Anthony Irwin</a>Anthony Irwin has been covering the Lakers in some capacity for roughly a decade at outlets such as Locked on Lakers, Silver Screen &amp; Roll and Forum Blue &amp; Gold. He currently podcasts about the team on The Lakers Lounge and the NBA in general on Basketball Passport. He looks forward to continuing his reporting for ClutchPoints after entering the rumor foray over the last couple years.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Initial reviews on JJ Redick as a head coach are in and, unsurprisingly, everyone even remotely close to the Los Angeles Lakers is raving about his organization, communication, and approach to the at-times daunting task of coaching a LeBron James-led Lakers team.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-all-time-high-vibes-jj-redick-first-camp-bad-look-darvin-ham">Redick wowing the organization</a> isn’t exactly shocking, especially given the levels of toxicity within the locker room under his predecessor. What has been just as — if not more — interesting to track has been what people around the league have been looking for and what they’ve seen from his tenure.</p><p>Overall, league sources are most impressed by Redick’s attention to detail but have questions about the staff the Lakers assembled around him.</p><p>“It’s obviously way too early to say anything definitive about Redick and whether he can coach,” one Eastern Conference scout said. “We do mostly know about his assistant coaching staff. That’s where it’s fair to wonder how this is going to go.”</p><p>As you may recall, it took quite a while for Redick to put his staff together. Initially, the Lakers had hopes of landing James Borrego, Sam Cassell, Jared Dudley, and other promising younger coaches. The initial crop of former head coaches the Lakers had hoped to mentor Redick included Terry Stotts and Jacque Vaughn, among others. Wave after wave of appealing candidates either signed elsewhere or stayed in their current gigs.</p><p>In the end, Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan were brought in for experience, and Greg St. Jean, Bob Beyer, Lindsey Harding and Beau Levesque rounded out the rest of the coaching staff.</p><p>Sources close to the Lakers say St. Jean has been tasked with handling the offense so far, while Beyer focuses on defense. Brooks and McMillan have mostly been overseeing this and maintaining constant communication with Redick, whose focus to this point has been on building relationships with his players.</p><p>“No offense to any of those coaches, but it’s just not the elite staff a team needs next to a coach with as little experience as JJ has,” said an NBA scout. “The Lakers treat these jobs as if the assistant coach has to be thankful to get to coach the Lakers, but it doesn’t quite work that way anymore. They don’t pay enough to live comfortably in L.A. and they go through head coaches so quickly you just never know if you’ll be there for more than a year or so. Makes it really difficult to land the talent JJ needed.”</p><h2><b>What JJ Redick, Lakers are doing in preseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-coach-JJ-Redick.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Still, league sources have mostly been impressed by what the staff has accomplished so early in the preseason. Various scouts I’ve spoken to have pointed to the amount of organized offense the Lakers are running so far, even if the system and sets are a little rudimentary.</p><p>Sources close to the Lakers say the focus has been on getting guys used to running organized offense, then the focus will turn to improving the sets they’re running.</p><p>Defensively, the Lakers have actually taken some strides forward, according to those paying attention around the league. Between personnel and the ways the staff is utilizing them, the Lakers have looked cleaner on that end of the court.</p><h2><b>Redick getting LeBron’s buy-in</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-JJ-Redick-already-impressing-NBA-scouts-but-key-questions-remain-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>To this point, the biggest difference by far has been the level of buy-in Redick and his coaching staff have gotten from players compared to last season.</p><p>“Huddles last year were honestly pretty incredible,” an NBA assistant said. “You had guys not even bothering to pretend they were listening. I don’t think I ever saw a coach lose a team as quickly as (Darvin) Ham did. This year, you can sense a real belief in what they’re trying to build. That’s the first step. It’s early, but you have to start there.</p><p>“It was always going to improve compared to last year, but even beyond that, Redick seems to really have their attention. LeBron especially.”</p><p>In the NBA, that’s the critical first step. Leadership starts at the top in locker rooms, with guys falling in line behind a team’s best players. Last year, Lakers and league sources say James was out on Ham very quickly. Recently on Netflix’s Starting 5, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-rant-nuggets-series-starting-5">James could be seen</a> calling Ham’s plan to limit his minutes “garbage.” Sources close to the situation say that was a fairly regular scene last year.</p><p>So, with James bought in with Redick and an actual plan in place for this season, the Lakers feel ahead of schedule. Yes, there are fair questions to be asked of Redick and his staff, but that was to be expected. Redick is a first-time coach surrounded by a questionable staff. How they answer those questions will go a long way in deciding the kind of season the Lakers are in for.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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Lakers News: Get the latest Los Angeles Lakers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Lakers News

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