Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton thinks fatigue was a significant factor in his team’s 108-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their preseason opener, per Lakers Nation’s Serena Winters.
Luke Walton said fatigue was a big factor tonight…when the Lakers got tired, they stopped moving the ball & settled for threes
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 1, 2017
While fatigue feels like an odd excuse for a team just starting the preseason, it should be noted that the Lakers played with an up-tempo style for most of the game. And although they likely practiced running this style during scrimmages, a live game has a higher intensity, one which the Lakers players likely weren’t quite ready for yet.
Article Continues BelowThe team should get their legs under them more as the preseason wears on. But while the Lakers plan to play a primarily up-tempo style with rookie Lonzo Ball running the show, they can't expect to do it for all 48 minutes and 82 games.
It will be up to Walton to implement a more effective half-court offense which they can run as an alternative. That way the offense won't bog down with players settling for 3-pointers when they do inevitably feel the fatigue during the course of the season.