LeBron James, Austin Reaves Make Preseason Debuts, as Lakers Pick Up Win.

The Lakers got some strong frontline performances in their preseason opener Saturday against the Warriors, as D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis put up big numbers in short minutes. But two of the big headliners weren't in the lineup. Monday in Vegas against the Nets, LeBron James and Austin Reaves suited up for the first time this season... and looked pretty good, too!

LeBron looked like he had found the bounce that had been stripped during the playoffs thanks to that foot tendon issue, going for 10/3/5 in 17 minutes. Reaves hit his first shot of the night (a triple) en route to 18 points on 5-7 shooting and 4-6 from 3. All told, the Lakers starters (which included Taurean Prince on a night where Jarred Vanderbilt was unavailable thanks to a heel injury) were a robust 13-23 from downtown. The shooting, which was good on Saturday, continued.

And it was an argument for why Prince would be a good choice for that fifth starter role. He would provide low-usage floor spacing, while still bringing the same on-court hustle and energy of Vanderbilt, though not quite as much defensive versatility and definitely not as much rebounding. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, provides that rebounding and extremely high levels of energy and effort... but unless that corner 3 becomes a true weapon, can create some congestion offensively.

Interestingly, Hachimura's 19 points on 8-14 from the floor was a good argument for him not starting. It was clear last year, and seems pretty clear again that given the offensive talent in the starting lineup, he'll have far more opportunities to assert himself as a scorer coming off the bench. And it's not like he can't come in as a sixth man, and then finish games, too. There's no rule against that sort of thing.

So what about the other guys?

• Maxwell Lewis is very raw, but man does that kid have some athleticism. He showed it off in the second half on Monday.
• Jalen Hood-Schifino is obviously a work in progress, but showed more of what the Lakers see in him as a point guard, not just through five assists, but also the variety of passes he's obviously comfortable making.
• Christian Wood... did he bounce back from a disappointing preseason opener? Integrating him in ways that maximize his skills without over-catering might take a minute.
• Did Jaxson Hayes follow up a promising debut with a good second game?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers win, and LeBron and Reaves get back on the floor.

SEGMENT 2: The arguments for Vanderbilt, Prince and Hachimura to be in the starting lineup... or why it's better that they come off the bench.

SEGMENT 3: What about Wood?

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