The NBA Opening Night spotlight was deservedly on the defending Champions in Boston. The Celtics raised banner #18 then dominated the new look New York Knicks. The most compelling story of the 2024-25 NBA season was not back East however, it was here in Los Angeles. LeBron James and Bronny James were set to become the first father and son team to play in an NBA game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
To the Lakers credit, the team built up the anticipation and the moment happened with 4 minutes left in the second quarter. It was over about 3 minutes later. Bronny James contributed one offensive rebound and took a 3-point shot, on a potential assist from his dad, that he missed. If that shot would have go in the reverberations from the roar at Crypto would still be heard today!
The Lakers however made it clear to everyone watching that they are more than just the first NBA team with a father and son playing together.
Los Angeles Lakers: Reasons to be excited
Anthony Davis looked incredible. His numbers are one thing, 36 points – 16 rebounds – 3 blocks and 4 assists, but more impressive was his swagger. For the first time in a long time, Anthony Davis looked and played like the leader of this team. LeBron made it clear a few seasons ago that AD needs to be the best player on this Lakers team. For whatever reason that mantle was never passed from LBJ. This might be the season and it bodes well for the Lakers!
JJ Redick is not the second coming of [insert your favorite NBA coach here]. He doesn’t have to be. All he needs to do is be better for this team than Darvin Ham was last season. Redick showed passion on the sidelines – something Ham rarely did. Not a big deal necessarily, but a nice to have from your coach. Much more important, Redick shared his starting 5 long before the start of the NBA season and kept his word. It means a lot to players to know when they will play and how much time they will likely get. Redick seems to have a firm grasp on that reality.
This Lakers team looked good defensively, time outs were called when they were required and the coach looked engaged. These things were not always evident last season and rarely, if ever, did we see them all in one game!
Los Angeles Lakers: Reasons to be concerned
Fanfare aside (and seeing Bron and Bronny checking in was actually very cool) LeBron James is in his 22nd season and will be 40 in December. He has dodged Father Time more successfully than most, but we all know FT is undefeated; it’s only a matter of time. Watching AD dominate was a good sign, but can AD last all season? He is going to need to simply because LeBron is slowing down. I mean, he has to start slowing down! We will no doubt see incredible games from him, but Lakers fans can’t expect to see that greatness on display every game. Those days are likely gone.
While naming the starting 5 early was a great move by Coach Redick, having D’Angelo Russell on that list may prove to be not as great a decision. He wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t as impactful as the other starters. Russell was the only player in the starting 5 that did not score in double digits, finishing with nine. Most troubling was his 1-7 shooting from deep. In fact, no Lakers player made more than one. The team collectively shot only 16.7% from deep on 5-30. When you win games these stats aren’t highlighted. But these are staggering bad numbers are a key reason to be concerned.
Next Up
The Phoenix Suns take on the Lakers in Los Angeles. A good start is nice and you would rather be 1-0 than 0-1, but consistency is key. The Lakers looked different than how we left them last season. They played with passion, they defended well and they won. All of this is great! But, we need to see it again, then again, then again, repeat for 81 more games. Are game 1 Lakers the real deal or a product of opening night excitement?
Game 2 will give us a better view of what the answer is.
