LAS VEGAS — Over in Oakland, Steve Kerr decided to give his former assistant coach, Luke Walton, a little forewarning for Friday’s meeting between Golden State and the Lakers.
At Friday’s practice in Las Vegas, Walton countered his former coach.
“You tell Steve that Lou Williams isn’t playing either, so he can have his full opportunity to (prepare),” Walton quipped.
Due in part because of his leadership, Walton has been happy with how Williams has looked in the starting lineup, but said “we’ll see what he looks like with the other unit before it’s all said and done.”
Walton said that he hasn’t yet decided who will start at shooting guard in Williams’ place. Meanwhile, Los Angeles will also be without Jose Calderon, who is out with a mild left calf strain.
According to Walton, Calderon’s calf has been “on and off” since training camp in Santa Barbara and that the team will allow him to take his time to return. The 35-year-old will be re-evaluated on Monday back in L.A.
But in Vegas the Lakers are focused on Saturday’s task.
Walton, for one, embraces his first meeting with the team he coached with for the last two years.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Walton said. “I think it will be fun seeing some of the old guys and going against Steve on the other side. It should be a good time.”
Walton doesn’t think he and Kerr will trade trash talk, but allowed that perhaps there will be some with opinionated All-Star Draymond Green.
Walton’s current power forward understands his connection with the Warriors.
“I’m sure it’s pretty special,” Randle said. “He had a special bond with those guys over there. But he’s done a good job of not mentioning it to us.”
Turning It Around
The Lakers’ second unit had been the team’s strongest through the first half of the preseason, but they were out played by Sacramento in Thursday’s loss.
Second-overall pick Brandon Ingram saw it as the backups not bringing their usual jolt to the game.
“We usually come out with a defensive mind set, but I don’t think our energy was there,” Ingram said. “We weren’t making shots, so it kind of lacked on our defensive end. That’s something that happens during seasons, but that’s something that doesn’t need to happen a lot.”
Ingram entered the game with a team-leading +39 plus/minus, but he was a woeful -27 on Thursday.
“I think sometimes we look at it the wrong way,” Ingram said. “I think if we actually get after it defensively that’s when the sparks come. Like in the third quarter yesterday, we got after it defensively (and) we started knocking shots down.”