Lakers.com The 2018-2019 NBA season starts October 16th and to get you ready for tip-off, Off the Glass is previewing all 30 teams. Today we look at the Los Angeles Lakers. 2017-2018 Record: 35-47, 3rd in the Pacific Division. Season Recap: The Los Angeles Lakers were much improved last year, and it started with the emergence of Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram. Lonzo Ball demonstrated he belongs in the league, although there is a lot of work to be done with his cond

Who deserves some more love this NBA season? Our writers answer below! Jac Manuell/@TheJManJBT Aaron Gordon has improved every facet of his game. Here’s a list of all the areas where his game has improved, via Basketball Reference: -Points per game -Blocks per game -Steals per game -Assists per game -Total rebounds per game -Free throw rate and percentage -Field goal percentage from two and three -Effective field goal percentage As I argued on the NBA Outlet, he is a legitima

We are one month in on fantasy hoops fellas. Struggling teams should know where their weaknesses lie and teams sitting firming atop of the standings should be wary of players being dropped into the waiver wire. There are always teams that are going to be making drastic drops in order to improve their team. For example, players like Sacramento center Willie Cauley-Stein and Phoenix Suns forward Marquese Chriss was dropped in a couple of my competitive leagues. When you are sit

Week 2 is closing in on us, and we’re going to get you prepared for Week 3. If you have been struggling with your team, preach patience just a bit. It's easy to overreact to early season struggles and fluky performances. Remember that fantasy basketball is a marathon, not a sprint. If you in fact do feel like you have some dead weight and have an opportunity to pick up some hot free-agents, go for it. Fantasy is about gambles sometimes. Week 3 Schedule: 2 Games: Nets 3 Games:

Photo Courtesy of NBA It's currently 5:06 AM and I have a wedding to attend in a couple of hours, y'all know I had to do my due diligence and fill you guys in on how to prepare for next week first. After all, #fantasyhoopsislife The 2017-2017 NBA season was off to a great and promising start, until it was dampened by some key injuries. This start of the season has been brutal, with key injuries and ankle sprains happening all over the place. Injuries in sports are always unfo

From what was a highly anticipated, national televised premier night for the NBA, it turned sour 6 minutes into the opening tip. Boston Celtic forward Gordon Hayward suffered a horrific foot injury that will most certainly force him out of game action until 2018, if not the entire 2017-2018 season. It was one of the most gruesome basketball injuries in some time. Players knew it right away. Team doctors and security guards rushed over to attend Hayward. "I have never seen any

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images The wait is over. This crazy off season has finally come to a close as we are about to embark onto a fun 2017-2018 season. This summer has been unlike any other, to say the least. There’s a lot of questions and story lines to follow this season, and this is ESSENTIAL for fantasy basketball implications. From the draft lottery reform, to schedule changes for less back-to-back games this season, everything is relative to fantasy basketball. How we

Lonzo Ball? Brandon Ingram? Julius Randle? No, it’s the Kyle Kuzma show. Drafted 27th in this year's NBA draft, Kuzma's play has the league buzzing on how he slipped that far into the draft. Instead of just accepting the fact he has made it into the NBA and acknowledging a spectator role on the sidelines, Kuzma has shown the Lakers front office he is far ahead of the NBA learning curve. Kuz has shattered expectations to not only the Lakers fans, but scouts around the league a

Preseason is officially under way as we are just short of 2 weeks until the official tip-off to the NBA season. Many fascinating story lines and changing landscapes in the NBA, fantasy basketball is going to be a fun ride. In case you missed my full coverage of fantasy basketball: Intro to Fantasy: Beginners 101 Fantasy Basketball Tips & Strategies Fantasy Basketball Breakouts Fantasy Basketball Busts & Sleepers This lists consists of how I feel on a fantasy perspective. I ha

Eight of OTG's finest give you their pick for Rookie of the Year Matt Chin/@MattChinNBA Dennis Smith Jr. Even if he hadn’t been truly magnificent in summer league, I simply love his fit and opportunity in Dallas. He’s an attacking downhill guard who can finish near the rim and distribute from the paint. Nerlens Noel is an elite rim runner and lob finisher, and he and Smith will offer a nuclear athletic pick and roll pairing. Noel ranked in the 83rd percentile in roll man offe

Every NBA champion has “glue guys” on their team. Sometimes, it’s a Ron Artest who acts as an enforcer and makes timely plays. Sometimes, it’s a Shane Battier who is going to be a true professional, while also doing the dirty work of guarding the opposing team’s best player. Or, it’s an Andre Iguodala, a player who is the jack of all trades, and a stabilizer off your bench In fantasy, it’s really the same thing on surrounding the rest of your star players and core players wit

As of today, we are officially 30 days away from the NBA season opener. Draft dates are looming close and fantasy season is about to officially kick off. This season will be filled with tons of surprises and mysteries. Will Lonzo Ball live up to the hype? Will we see Joel Embiid unleashed and play more than 65 games? What about that Ben Simmons guy? Can Giannis An-te-to-kounm-po win MVP and be the top overall fantasy player? If you haven’t checked out my beginner’s guide and

As we edge closer towards the basketball season, owners want to prepare for their upcoming draft. Most of the time, everyone wants to draft the right player and usually has a strategy. However, things may not go as planned come draft night. In fact, things are surely not going to go as planned. You are most likely not the only one targeting Karl-Anthony Towns at #2, nor are you the only one thinking LeBron James is going to have a monster bounce back season. The draft is obvi

So you’ve decided to exercise your precious time and play fantasy basketball. It truly is a rewarding, fun and engaging experience. It gets even better when you and your friends battle it out for bragging rights in the same league. Argue about whose team is better at a bar? Check. Make excuses about your player being injured? Check. Send a low-ball trade offer to your buddy? Check. If you have the time, patience, and perhaps a bit of luck, you’re in for a hell of a ride for t

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make much noise in free agency this summer. After a huge draft in June in which they came away with Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kumza, Thomas Bryant, and Josh Hart, the Lakers stuck to their promise to not commit to long term deals. They are holding out on the main prize(s) next summer, to gather two of the marquee free agents with max deals. The Laker fanbase is infatuated with Lonzo Ball right now, and with good reason. I’ve raved about Lonzo Ball since h

The Golden State Warriors are the NBA Champions, and they took the NBA by storm even heading into the off-season. The dominance of the Dubs has the rest of the NBA itching to make roster changes, trying to replicate their own version of “position-less” basketball with various NBA stars. Just how will Chris Paul fare with another ball dominant player in James Harden? Or the arrival of Paul George to help the Brodie in Russell Westbrook? The young Minnesota Timberwolves with ne

Magic Johnson pointed his finger at the wall of the Los Angeles Lakers' training complex, where the 16-time NBA champions' nine retired numbers hang over the practice court. The pressure was on. The expectations were set. Lonzo Ball is a huge part of Magic Johnson's master plan to bring the Lakers back to championship contention. Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers took home the Summer League MVP award and the Summer League Championship Trophy back to LA last week. Surely,

It’s gotta be the shoes right? Channeling in his Mamba Mentality, Lonzo Ball returned to the starting lineup and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-102 comeback win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of the NBA Summer League tournament in Las Vegas. Ball sat out Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to a sore groin, and returned tonight with an astounding performance. The Big Baller Brand phenom was all over the place from the opening tip, making his p

It was electrifying in the opening moments. The arena was buzzing as all eyes were on the Los Angeles Lakers new golden child. Then it went downhill quick. Lonzo Ball didn’t quite start things off the right way as the Los Angeles Lakers lost their Las Vegas Summer League opener to the Los Angeles Clippers 96-93 in the Thomas & Mack Center Friday night. Twitter couldn’t wait to put the Ball family to shame as Lonzo struggled in a forgettable performance, finishing with 5 point

What Happened Last Season The Los Angeles Lakers had a forgettable season as they went 26-56, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season. It’s safe to say the rebuilding stages after the Kobe era has been slow. The young cornerstone pieces of Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson all shown flashes of brilliance, but it wasn’t enough to stay competitive with some of the best in the league. Former #2 pick Brandon Ingram struggled mightily in his rookie seaso