On Monday, October 3rd, 2022, the first preseason game for the Lakers took place. The Lakers lost the game against the Sacramento Kings with the final score of 105-75. The Lakers were in the lead for the first half and in the middle of the 3rd quarter until the Kings took the lead at the end of the game.

The Lakers is an American professional basketball team in Los Angeles. Some of their most famous players include LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and Patrick Beverley. They are also the home to some of the greatest NBA players that have retired like Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have appeared in 30 NBA Finals and their latest appearance was in 2020. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA and have won 17 NBA championships. They are tied up with the Boston Celtics with the most championships in American basketball.

“I know they have already lost two games, but I hope by the time that the season starts, the Lakers can start having better communication and have better chemistry between each other to make this season better compared to last year,” says Valerie Gonzalez (10).

Last year, the Lakers traded Malcolm Brogdon for Westbrook who came from the Thunder. The year before that the Lakers traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart for Davis who was from the Pelicans. The year before Davis, LeBron James’ contract was up with the Cavaliers, so James decided to sign with the Lakers on a four-year, $153.3 million contract.

“I didn’t really like the trade for Westbrook since I am not a big fan of him and sometimes I feel like he is the reason why there is no communication between the Lakers but hopefully the team will change him and make this season worth watching,” said Christopher Arteaga (11).

Last season was not the  Lakers’ best. There was very little communication between players, which ultimately hurt the team. They finished 11th in the NBA Western Conference with a record of 33-49 in total. They didn’t make it to the playoffs or the finals.

“I just really hope that this year the Lakers will win more games and they need to find more plays that will not just hand the ball to only one person, this is a team effort after all,” said Anthony Calderon (11).