The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into their fourth preseason game on Tuesday with a major issue on the court, and it starts with their top two stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
While preseason stats don’t count for the final record, these exhibition games are showing real problems that need fixing before the regular season starts. The biggest issue so far has been turnovers. The team has turned the ball over constantly, and after practice this week, Reaves stepped up to talk about it.
Reaves was blunt about the issue, saying he and Doncic are likely the main reason why the Lakers have had 20 or more turnovers in every single preseason game. “Me and Luca probably are the main catalyst for those, so clean those up, clean some stuff up defensively,” Reaves said.
The numbers back up his comments. Even though Doncic has only played two games and Reaves has played just one, the duo has already combined for 13 turnovers. Doncic is averaging five turnovers a game on his own, which is tough to swallow for the team’s main playmaker.
It isn’t just the stars, though. Other guards are struggling with the ball too. Jaden Hardy is averaging three turnovers per game, and Bronny James is committing 2.7 per contest.
With only two preseason games left against the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers need to sort this out. They also have to make roster cuts to get down to 15 players before the regular season opener on October 21. Players like Hardy, James, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dalton Knecht are all fighting for their spots on the bubble, and how they handle the ball in the final games could decide who stays and who goes.
