Here is what you need to know before the Lakers tip off the 2016-17 season against the Houston Rockets.
1)
If preseason was any indication, year two of D’Angelo Russell will be something for the league to keep an eye on. The 20-year-old was the NBA’s 10th-leading scorer in October, averaging 17.8 points thanks to a few big performances, such as when he dropped 33 on Denver or racked up 31 and 11 assists against Sacramento.
2)
This game will mark the debut of second-overall pick Brandon Ingram, who had an up-and-down preseason run. The Duke product shot just 39.1 percent from the field and 57.1 percent on free throws, but he did flash his potential by scoring 21 points with seven rebounds against Golden State.
3)
Julius Randle is returning for his second full season, having averaged a double-double with 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds last year. Randle — who was also a top-10 rebounder — missed nearly his entire rookie campaign in 2014-15 when he broke his leg in, ironically, the season opener against Houston.
4)
Both of the final players to make the Lakers’ roster have suited up for the Rockets in the past. Metta World Peace played for Houston in 2008-09, when he was named Second Team All-Defense and hit a career-high 2.2 3-pointers per game. On the other hand, Thomas Robinson’s tenure was much briefer, having played only 19 contests with the team in 2013.
5)
This game will serve as the first of the Luke Walton era, as the 36-year-old took over as head coach after two years as an assistant at Golden State. On the other side of the court will be Walton’s former teammate, Trevor Ariza, reuniting two members of the Lakers’ 2009 championship team.
6)
The Rockets also added a new head coach, who happens to be familiar in Los Angeles. Mike D’Antoni might have only lasted two years as coach of the Lakers, finishing with a 67-87 record from 2012-14, but he seems like the right man to unlock Houston’s offensive potential. The Rockets averaged an NBA-high 118.6 points in their first preseason under the architect of the mid-2000s “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns.
7)
D’Antoni has the perfect player to run his system in James Harden, who scored the second-most points of any player last year (29.0). Harden moved from shooting guard to point guard over the offseason and thrived in the preseason by leading the NBA in assists (10.7), while also adding 20.2 points in 29.4 minutes.
8)
The Rockets also surrounded Harden with a pair of new sharpshooters from New Orleans. Ryan Anderson ranked second among bench players in scoring last year (16.5), while Eric Gordon provided 15.2 points before missing the second half of the season.
9)
Two members of Brazil’s Olympic team will square off, as Marcelo Huertas faces Houston’s Nene Hilario. Huertas was third in Rio de Janeiro in assists (6.6) while Nene ranked eighth in rebounds (6.0), but Brazil was still unable to make it out of pool play.
10)
While the Rockets’ offense promises to be one of the best in the league, their defense could be their downfall. D’Antoni’s teams have historically been poor on that end, while Harden, Anderson and Gordon have been subpar defenders throughout their career. The Lakers will look to take advantage of this, especially considering that Houston’s top defender, Patrick Beverley, is out due to knee surgery.
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW