Los Angeles Lakers Report and Analysis from Friday Intrasquad Scrimmage

This Friday, I was fortunate to attend the Los Angeles Lakers' intrasquad scrimmage held at USC's Galen Center.

Here's a recap of the action with my overall impressions:

Gold Team Starting Five

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Steve Blake. Matt Barnes started at the 3 for the first team. All indications point towards Barnes joining the starting five when the season starts.

Derek Fisher was given the day off to rest up after practicing and working out today; not injury related.

Purple Team Starting Five

Metta World Peace, Josh McRoberts, Jason Kapono, Luke Walton and Darius Morris. Metta will be the sixth man in the rotation, replacing L.O. as the anchor of the second unit.

Mike Brown's Post-Triangle Offense

As expected, the twin towers were a featured element of Mike Brown's offense, getting down the floor off a make-or-miss for quick easy buckets and posting up down low.

Space for the bigs was created with lots of screens, movement and stretching the corners, effectively leaving Bynum or Gasol with one-on-one matchups on the block.

In the second and third quarters, the bigs (Pau Gasol/Josh McRoberts) were lining up at the top of the three-point line, leaving space for much off-the-ball movement on the baseline. 

Pau Gasol's mid-range jumper was automatic in the scrimmage. What do you expect, the guy is a world class player.

On the block, Drew was a beast. Absolutely unstoppable. In fact, Pau and Bynum moved to opposite teams after playing together in the first quarter. Watching Pau play Drew one-on-one was worth the price of admission.

Offensive sets in the second unit were focused through Metta World Peace—a role he has been comfortable playing while in Indiana, Sacramento and Houston. Operating outside the triangle, Metta was constantly posting up on the block, making spin moves into the lane for the deuce, or looking for the step-back.

Point Guard Play

As mentioned, Derek Fisher was rested and Steve Blake moved into the starting five. Blake looked steady. He nailed a few threes but also had a few errant lobs for turnovers. Chalk it up to rust.

Overall, Blake showed he's capable of starting at point.

The most impressive player, to me, was Lakers rookie Darius Morris. The first-year man out of Michigan was running the show for the second unit, displaying exceptional ball-handling skills and making plays for his teammates. He also had two very nice drives to the lane for scores.

With Morris' speed (he's been winning every sprint in practices this week), length, superb ball-handling skills and playmaking abilities, he is sure to contribute immediately as a rookie.

With Derek Fisher out of the lineup, the Lakers had solid point guard play. Start believing it, Laker fans.

Three-Point Shooting

Jason Kapono and Matt Barnes were very consistent from downtown, hitting multiple threes throughout the scrimmage.

Andrew Goudelock, the Lakers' other rookie, came in the second and third quarters and the 6'3" guard showed some great range as well, knocking in two from downtown.

Miscellaneous Notes

Devin Ebanks was the other pleasant surprise for the Lakers. He showed great mid-range game, able to create his own shot. He was being defended aggressively by Kobe and still was able to create space and knock down jumpers. He carried the second unit in the first quarter.

Expect big things from Ebanks this year.

Luke Walton missed three straight shots to open the game. Midseason form already.

Darius Morris and Ebanks moved to the first unit during the second quarter.

Matt Barnes played by far the best defense of the day, challenging Kobe one-on-one. Barnes vs. Kobe was a game within the game. Great intensity, great entertainment.

Josh McRoberts was active, running for loose rebounds, looking for tips and playing help defense. McRoberts had a nice alley-oop to Kobe from the top of the key. Don't expect McRoberts to create his own shot; that's not his game. He'll contribute by controlling the glass, getting easy buckets near the rim, and is able to hit a kick-out jumper.

D-Fenders callup Zach Andrews impressed with his size, athleticism and defense. Andrews had the two best dunks of the afternoon; Bynum with the other. I wouldn't be surprised if Andrews made the roster with Derrick Caracter out.

Speaking of dunks, Gerald Green was non-existent. Don't believe the hype—I'm not.

Mitch Kupchak sat behind the gold bench, and during a timeout, Pau Gasol was a mere five feet from the Lakers GM. Hopefully they've spoken to each other and were able to bury the hatchet after the trade fiasco; Pau deserves the certainty and support.

Best Surprise of the Afternoon

Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris. Two players no one is talking about this offseason are primed for big things. They looked fantastic in the intrasquad scrimmage and got great run with the first unit.

The Lakers kick off the preseason versus the Los Angeles Clippers Monday at the Staples Center.