The Los Angeles Lakers are still a rebuilding team. There may be a lot of buzz about the purple and gold heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, but there's still a lot of work to be done in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, following the team's first practice on the second day of training camp, head coach Luke Walton spoke to the media and talked briefly about the current roster. The team will have their first scrimmage of camp tonight at the practice facility with Walton making it known that starting roles and playing time is up for grabs.
“We got a lot of competitions at a lot of spots whether it's a starting role or playing time role or making the team,” Walton said. “So it's a great chance for us to get some of it on tape so we can really break down what decisions we want to make.”
With D'Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov, Nick Young, and David Nwaba now suiting up elsewhere in the NBA, the Lakers' roster was already expected to go through some changes. The team also brought in a few notable names along with promising young rookies to make these battles for a starting job and playing time that much more interesting.
In terms of the first preseason game for the Lakers, it appears newcomer Brook Lopez will more likely than not be watching from the sidelines in street clothes at the Honda Center on Saturday.
“Brook [Lopez] probably won't play on Saturday,” Walton said of the one-time All-Star. “There's still a starting spot open for that game. Ultimately, everything we're doing right now is about getting ready for the start of the season. There's great opportunities to see what kind of different people are going to bring to the table.”
Article Continues BelowWalton also cleared up any potential confusion over how many open sports on the roster the team has as training camp presses on.
“We have 14 guarantees right now and one two-way, so we have two open spots,” Walton said.
This revamped squad will get to work against their first opponent in the NBA preseason on Saturday with the Walton and company face the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
If the starting five truly isn't set heading into Saturday's game, there will definitely be some Lakers players looking to make an impression with every minute they get on the floor.