Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Clippers Beat Lakers in Preseason; LeBron James Rests
The Los Angeles Clippers earned bragging rights in Southern California with their 103-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Saturday's preseason matchup.
Making his second straight start, Clippers rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to show tremendous promise. The 20-year-old had 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting and had two rebounds in the win.
With LeBron James sitting out this game for rest, the Lakers offense struggled to get in rhythm. They were particularly bad from three-point range, going just 3-of-18 behind the arc.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Must Be Clippers Starting Point Guard
The Clippers got a taste of life without a proven point guard last season when Patrick Beverley missed 71 games after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee.
Even though Beverley has been playing in the preseason—he was given Saturday off—Los Angeles' best path moving forward is to make Gilgeous-Alexander the primary point guard.
The former Kentucky star has shown great potential since being drafted No. 11 overall. He is averaging 11.3 points per game, has shot 14-of-27 through three preseason contests and displayed outstanding passing skills against the Lakers:
In the NBA general manager survey published by John Schuhmann of NBA.com, Gilgeous-Alexander was voted the biggest steal of the 2018 draft.
"I think he's really going to be unique," Kentucky head coach John Calipari told Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier Journal in May. "One, he can guard. So you're talking about a player that can do both sides of the ball. And he's only now beginning to do all the stuff he can do, and he makes game-winning shots. He's not afraid."
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has remade his roster over the past year. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are gone. Beverley is 30 years old and coming off major knee surgery.
Gilgeous-Alexander represents Los Angeles' best hope for the future. His quickest development track will come if he's given a chance to lead the Clippers offense at the start of the regular season.
Lakers Need Quick Fix for Three-Point Shooting Woes
The early returns from the Lakers' offseason makeover indicate they haven't solved their three-point shooting issues.
After finishing 29th in three-point percentage last season (34.5), the Lakers have gone 27-of-92 from behind the arc in four preseason games.
Among the questions facing the Lakers heading into the 2018-19 campaign was how they were going to get the ball in the hoop. Veterans like Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson aren't known for their shooting prowess.
Rondo did show off his ability to run the offense with 10 assists against the Clippers, including this alley-oop to Kyle Kuzma in the third quarter:
The signing of James garnered the Lakers a lot of goodwill, but this is still a deeply flawed roster competing in a loaded Western Conference. With the four-time MVP sitting out Saturday night, Los Angeles got a taste of what life will look like if he has to miss any time during the season.
Even with James in the first three games, the Lakers' three-point shooting was suspect. It will need to be corrected quickly if they want to be a serious playoff contender in the Western Conference.
What's Next?
The Clippers will play their fourth preseason game on Tuesday when they host the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers will play their first of two straight games against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
