The Lakers got a much needed bounce-back win on Sunday vs. the Spurs and a major lineup shift combined with the return of Talen Horton-Tucker were big reasons why. Pete and Darius start out talking Kent Bazemore's DNP-CD, but then dive deep on THT's return, highlighting how well he played on offense, his improved defensive effort and execution, and how his play down the stretch really helped seal the win. Later the guys discuss Wayne Ellington's hot shooting night and why some of the little things on defense were so important when the team played their smaller lineups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After leading by 5 at halftime, the Lakers got blown out in the 2nd half by the Timberwolves, losing a game where they looked increasingly fatigued and without enough juice to run with a young opponent. Pete and Darius discuss the game and explain whether this was preventable or if it's just one of those nights that happens in the NBA. Later, the guys discuss what they learned about the Lakers in a week they went 2-1 and what to make of Kent Bazemore's recent struggles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers won another thriller of an overtime game on Wednesday, beating the Miami Heat via a monster scoring night from Malik Monk and hot shooting from the rest of the team. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game through the lens of the Lakers long range specialists and how Monk, Carmelo Anthony, and Wayne Ellington are finding their stride with more opportunity to play. Later, the guys discuss the defensive ability of those three players and how Frank Vogel can strike the right balance of keeping them on the floor as shooters while protecting them on defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Westbrook had 5 turnovers in the 4th quarter of Monday's win over the Hornets and, while extreme, this represents some of the ball security struggles he's had this season so far. Pete, Mike, and Darius parse some of Russ' turnover issues with his general decision making as a lead ball handler and try to navigate what can and cannot change in trying to get better results without compromising the traits that make Westbrook the dynamic player he is.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers held on to outlast the Hornets on Monday night, earning a much needed win in overtime and stopping their 2-game losing streak in the process. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game by focusing on some of the more positive aspects they saw -- from the starter's first shift together to Frank Vogel's quick lineup shift in the 3rd quarter to AD's overall impact on a game when he wasn't his best physically. Later the guys get into some of the lineup qualities the team will need to help support Anthony Davis when he plays center and discussed some of the specifics of the plays he made late in the game that helped seal the win. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With LeBron James still out and the Lakers other injuries still very much impacting their ability to play productive lineups, what should our expectations of the team be night to night? Pete, Mike, and Darius try to answer this question, discuss how they're looking at this upcoming stretch of home games, and whether playing more lineups that lean towards offense could lead to smaller successes within any given game.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another LeBron James injury coupled with another loss to the Thunder have the Lakers frustrated and looking for solutions to a growing number of problems. Postgame, Frank Vogel said the Lakers must have "big picture patience and short term urgency". With that as a backdrop, Pete, Mike, and Darius look at the current state of the team and sort through their current level of expectations considering the state of the roster and the upcoming slate of games vs. tougher opponents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Lakers are at their best defensively, they're flying around the court, trapping, and really pressuring offenses into mistakes and misses. This style, however, isn't a sustainable approach over the marathon that is the NBA season. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss how the Lakers can play a more conservative brand of defense effectively, offer their own ideas of how to accomplish this, and question whether it's possible at all with the current injuries and roster construction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers held on to beat the Rockets on Tuesday night in a wild ride of a game that, in many ways, represents the Lakers season to this point. Pete, Mike, and Darius break down the performance against the Rockets, highlighting how well the team scored in the paint and what ingredients went into that success. Later, the guys get into more lineup questions and dive into why Carmelo Anthony's shooting and scoring prowess is making him a key ingredient in some of the team's best performing groups.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turmoil in Boston? That's a shame. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Marcus Smart's comments about teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics struggles, and dive into why having big wings as your primary shot creators can have its limitations. Then, in moving onto more things they enjoy seeing, the guys go around the NBA to discuss Ja Morant's rise, the new look Bulls, and how the changes in how games are officiated is positively impacting the viewing experience. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With wins over the Cavs and the Rockets over the weekend, the Lakers look like they're in the early stages of figuring things out as a team. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss some of the things they're encouraged with after the two wins, zeroing in on better defensive effort and how the team's "small" starting lineup played against Houston. Later, the guys discuss Avery Bradley's play and how he symbolizes some of the strides the team has made defensively. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers fell apart, blowing a huge first half lead to lose their game vs. the Thunder. Pete, Mike, and Darius perform an autopsy on the game, offering their thoughts on what went wrong and why the team wasn't able to get things back on track once the Thunder started to make their comeback. Later, the guys discuss the team's defensive identity and how much of the team's struggles on that end of the floor is related to personnel vs. scheme vs. the mentality and focus of the players.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not all wins are created equal, and a come from behind win on the road, on a night the Lakers didn't have LeBron James and several other role players, with top flight performances from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, counts a little bit more as a building block victory for this team. Pete and Darius discuss the win, highlighting Russ' big night and how the Lakers can try to bottle up some of what worked this game for when LeBron returns. Later, the guys discuss AD's big night on both sides of the floor as well as Malik Monk's huge contributions to the win. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA season is only a week old, but we've already been treated to some great individual performances and some teams looking to make more noise than preseason projections predicted. Pete, Mike, and Darius go around the NBA to talk about what they've liked so far this season, focusing in on some Western Conference teams and players who have caught their eye for better and, in some cases, for worse.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies for their first win of the season and Carmelo Anthony's big scoring night was a major reason why. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss how Melo got it going, why the sets and lineups he's used in led to his success, and how he fits on this roster is coming into greater focus through three games. Later, the guys discuss Melo's defense and why the way Vogel schemes around him hint at the ways the team is best suited to play defense overall.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LeBron James said that Russell Westbrook, like himself and Anthony Davis, shouldn't be worried about "fitting in" on the Lakers, but instead, as one of the team's stars, he sometimes needs to "stand out" and just play his own game. Pete, Mike, and Darius explore the idea of how Russ can best be deployed in order to be most effective and Russ' own role in making that happen. Then later, the guys discuss the upcoming matchup with the Suns and offer predictions on how the game will go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Westbrook's struggles on opening night should not be surprising considering some of the lineups he played in and how much he was (or was not) set up for success. Pete, Mike, and Darius debate some of the lineup decisions made and whether catering more to Russ' style of play will better promote success or whether, due to injuries and roster construction, making those changes would just be setting the team up for different types of struggles where weaknesses from other players get exposed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers dropped their season opener to the Warriors 121-114 in a game that saw LeBron and Anthony Davis score and defend well, but none of their teammates really have a positive night on either side of the ball. Pete and Darius breakdown the game, focusing on LeBron and AD's strong nights, how the big starting lineup fared, some of the team's defensive struggles, and how injuries forced some really ill-fitting lineups onto the floor. Later, the guys discuss Russell Westbrook's rough night and how a convergence of his own limitations and the groupings he played with contributed to his struggles. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In forecasting how far the Lakers can go this season, it's best to first examine their position in the Western Conference relative to the rest of the teams. Pete, Mike, and Darius go through the entire conference, using a tiered system to analyze who are the conference's best teams and how the Lakers stack up against them, as injuries and uncertainty loom large for several of its best teams. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers enter the 2021-22 season with high expectations, and with more questions than answers. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the upcoming season through the lens of what we know, what we don't, and how it all can come together on both sides of the ball under the guidance of head coach Frank Vogel and the team's star players.  Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers dropped their preseason finale on Thursday night, but in the process gave us even more insight into the type of team they're trying to be and the preferred style they want to play. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss how speed, tempo, and creating chaos are pillars of the Lakers approach and how well it's working so far. Later, the guys talk about LeBron's strong play, an improving Russ, and some of their final thoughts on the team now that preseason is over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers fell to 0-5 in the preseason after losing to the Warriors on Tuesday night, but all was not lost as we got our first glimpse at how the LeBron, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis trio looks on the court together. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss their takeaways from those first minutes together, particularly the ramped up pace they played with offensively and some of the team's defensive challenges. Later, the guys discuss Carmelo Anthony's defense, offer some praise for Austin Reaves, and get into who the ideal 5th starter would be for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have been hit with the injury bug, losing Trevor Ariza and now Talen Horton-Tucker for extended stretches. With Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn also dealing with minor issues, the team's depth is further compromised, especially on the wing. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the ramifications of having these players out, particularly the impact on the defensive side of the ball. Later, the guys discuss what they hope to see in Tuesday's game vs. the Warriors when LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook will play together for the first time this preseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete and Mike discuss the Lakers' casual approach to preseason after a string of blowout losses, Russell Westbrook's early turnovers, and why coming changes in Tuesday night's game against the Warriors may fundamentally change how the team plays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through their first two preseason games, the Lakers have had some rough moments defensively. Pete and Darius discuss some of the team's struggles and dive into ideas of how the team can improve on that end of the floor and embracing the work needed to perform as well as needed on that end of the floor. Later, the guys discuss the team's guard rotation, what their specific strengths are on defense, and how to leverage those so they can play meaningful minutes in high stakes games.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers' lack of size and defensive cohesion were evident in their blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns, particularly in the backcourt. In this episode, Pete and Mike discuss the guard rotation after Frank Vogel's pre-game comments about Kent Bazemore separating himself from his competition, before reacting to the news of Trevor Ariza's injury breaking in the middle of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pau Gasol announced that he is retiring from professional basketball, sparking an outpouring of love and sharing of memories from Lakers fans from around the world. Pete, Mike, and Darius join the chorus of those celebrating Pau by reminiscing about his NBA career, particularly his time with the Lakers and their run to three straight NBA Finals and winning of back to back championships. From Pau's brilliance on the court to his partnership with Kobe to his playoff performances in the 2009 and 2010 season, the guys share their favorite memories of one of their favorite Lakers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From starting DeAndre Jordan next to Anthony Davis to playing lineups that featured multiple shooters who can struggle defensively, Frank Vogel put forward some lineup groupings in the preseason opener that could provide us some insight into his mindset about this season's Lakers. Pete and Darius discuss what, if anything, they learned from some of those groupings and then forecast what it might mean moving forward. Later, the guys discuss how the LeBron and Dwight Howard pairing could factor into bench units and whether Russell Westbrook's tendency to play in similar parts of the game as LeBron will influence what those bench groupings look like.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With both teams missing the majority of their superstar players, the Lakers and Nets opened their preseason on Sunday afternoon -- with Brooklyn winning after a 4th quarter runaway. But, even with so much talent in street clothes, we got some insights into how the Lakers want to play and some data points we can learn from moving forward. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, focusing on some of the lineup choices Frank Vogel made, how the team looked defensively, and how much we should take away from the shooting performances put on by Malik Monk and Wayne Ellington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do we expect from the Lakers as they head into their first preseason game? What will their defense look like? How do they translate the desire to play more in transition to actually executing that style of play? How will Frank Vogel scheme his team's half court offense to optimize the shot creation of his star players? Pete and Darius tackle these questions and more as they discuss what they're most looking forward to in the preseason. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the aftermath of their first practice of training camp, Frank Vogel said he wants the Lakers to be the best fast break team in the NBA this season. From Russell Westbrook's speed, Anthony Davis playing more minutes at the 5, and the subtle shifts in roster construction to accommodate the approach, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Vogel's premise and why it is (and isn't) a departure from past iterations of the Lakers under this head coach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lakers Media Day has come and gone, and with it we got our first glimpse at the new look team all in the same room, offering us their thoughts and expectations for this upcoming season. From LeBron's comments about his partnership with Russell Westbrook to Carmelo Anthony telling us about why he joined the Lakers at this stage of his career to Frank Vogel talking about defensive expectations, Pete, Mike, and Darius break down what stood out most to them from an eventful day on the eve of training camp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With less than a week before Lakers training camp opens, what are you most curious about heading into the season? What is your biggest concern? What excites you most about this Lakers team? What do you think their biggest playoff challenge will be? Pete, Mike, and Darius tackle these questions and more as they offer their final thoughts on the team of what has been an adventurous and change-filled offseason.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LeBron James enters his 19th NBA season with a new superstar teammate to mesh with, questions about his durability and health after suffering a high ankle sprain last season, and the burden of remaining an elite player expected to lead his team to a championship at a point in his career most stars have already receded into the background as role players. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the challenges LeBron faces this season, what their expectations are for him, and how they expect the question of his partnership with Russell Westbrook will be answered once they're on the court together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony Davis looks to have a bounce back season on a team where he?ll be more important than ever. Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss his role on the reimagined Lakers roster, and what he must do to get back to championship form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete and Mike are joined by PD Web (Twitter: @abovethebreak3) to discuss Talen Horton Tucker's offensive and defensive development, going in depth into THT's progress on his jump shot, his spatial awareness and advantage creation skills on offense and defense, and why it might be important to view his development as 2 players: one who can help a team now with championship aspirations and one who can be featured with a bigger role as a 25 year old player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How competitive the NBA is and whether the teams we believe can be contenders or take a big leap forward, ultimately depends on whether the trajectory of players like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, or Nikola Jokic remain ascendant. Pete, Mike, and Darius go around the NBA to look at these players (and some other, former Lakers too!), to give their initial prognosis on whether they can be as good as they were last season and what that means for their respective teams.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have signed DeAndre Jordan, adding to their center rotation and, in the process, potentially revealing more about the proposed stylistic identity of the team. Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss the signing, focusing on how Jordan can help offensively, his defensive limitations and whether the Lakers can better compensate for them than the Nets did, and what role they envision him playing in the team's rotation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the period between when the Showtime Lakers ruled the NBA and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers ran roughshod over the league, there was the "LakeShow" teams that, while never competing for a championship, captivated the hometown fans with a brash and fun style of playing the game. While he was only on the team for a little over two seasons, Cedric Ceballos was instrumental in ushering in the LakeShow and helping set the foundation for the team that ultimately was able to lure Shaq from Orlando. Pete and Darius discuss Ceballos' game, his importance to those teams, and why that era of Lakers basketball offers a real nostalgia for them as fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many cultures throughout history believed that a collection of gods represented certain principles and governed specific domains accordingly. The God of the Sea, the Goddess of Love, the God of the Sky, etc. Basketball is no different. While some basketball gods are more powerful than others, various players, coaches, and other figures throughout the league?s history act as emissaries who illustrate a fundamental truth about the game. In the continuation of our series on The Basketball Gods, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the God of Vision: the transcendent Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and how he transformed the game for its next generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frank Vogel has a well earned reputation as one of the game's elite defensive coaches. But the 2021-22 roster is more offensively minded than his previous Lakers teams. In this episode, Pete, Mike & Darius explore the adjustments Vogel can make to get the most out of this new look group on both ends of the floor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest LFR Pod mailbag, Pete & Mike answer questions about the potential advantages & disadvantages of having someone like Marc Gasol on a team with Russell Westbrook, the culprit for the low number of lobs thrown to AD last season, whether THT should get some time at small forward, despite his weakness at guarding at that position, who would they say is the most important player to this team's success (outside of LeBron, AD & Russ), and whether this is the year that the Lakers can reduce LeBron's minutes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should we expect the Lakers to get off to a quick start and rack up wins to begin the season? What can we learn about this team by the time they take their first long road trip in January? Is there a month of the schedule that is most important to the team's success? Pete, Mike, and Darius try to answer these questions and many more when they take a deep dive into the Lakers 2021-22 schedule.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rajon Rondo is back on the Lakers! Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Rondo's return, reflecting not only on their feelings to see him added back to the roster after the up, down, and back up again first tenure with the team, but on the tangible and intangible qualities he brings in his 2nd stint. Later, the guys discuss Rondo's relationship with Frank Vogel and how they envision that impacting Rondo's playing time and Rondo's influence in the locker room.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Lakers roster nearly complete, the question must be asked: What does this team still need? From a wing defender, to more youthful energy, to a more traditional power forward, Pete, Darius and Mike explore the Lakers roster and try to figure out if areas where the team is lacking and, if so, how much it matters on a roster that has LeBron and Anthony Davis as all court talents and Russell Westbrook intensity and competitiveness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete, Darius & MIke survey the new NBA landscape after most of the offseason has been completed, talking about which teams have improved, which teams they felt did not do enough, which teams around the NBA are title contenders, while engage in a spirited debate about how the Lakers would fare against them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the conclusion of Westbrook Week, Pete & Mike talk to ESPN's Royce Young, who has covered Russell Westbrook since he was drafted into the NBA, to discuss Russ as a young player, how he has been misunderstood as a player, how Russ has adjusted his game throughout the years, & how Royce sees Westbrook fitting in with the 2022 Lakers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lakers have the potential to be one of the most devastating transition teams in the league, and Russell Westbrook will be a major part of establishing that identity. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the specifics of Westbrook's skill as a transition player and how his ability meshes with LeBron and Anthony Davis'. Later, the guys discuss why pushing the pace needs to be a core part of their offensive approach and how hunting transition chances can help the team's half-court offense.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony Davis is the Lakers best defensive player and LeBron James has shown he can still be elite on that end, but with the amount of perimeter defensive talent that left the team, Russell Westbrook might just be the Lakers most important defender this season. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Westbrook's strengths and weaknesses defensively, why his flaws can be particularly problematic for this specific roster, and how his physical tools and ability to rebound are reasons for optimism. Later, the guys discuss how Russ plays into the "bigger, stronger, faster" approach to this roster and why that matters defensively.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If there's a reason to down on the Lakers' acquisition of Russell Westbrook, his poor outside shooting -- and proclivity to shoot those shots anyway -- is probably at the top of the list. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss how much Westbrook's shooting struggles matter, whether they think he'll adjust his game and cut down on the number of jumpshots he takes, and what types of schematic adjustments they think can work to help Westbrook be an off-ball threat when defenses help off him.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices