2020-21 Lakers Schedule Breakdown: Part 1

There are certain things we like to look for when the typical 82-game schedule is typically released in early August
as we determine how it impacts the Lakers.

But in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, let’s throw a good chunk of that out of the window, shall we?

After all, the 2020-21 NBA season will be totally unique.

Each team is scheduled to play 72 games, broken into halves. We’re about to dive into how the first 36 games (Dec.
22, 2020 – March 4, 2021) look for the Lakers, and wait until later in the season to find out the schedule for the
stretch of games between March 11 – May 16, 2021.

Here’s what you need to know about the first 36:

RING NIGHT!

It’s been 10 years since the last Ring Night at STAPLES CENTER, when Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Co.
celebrated their second consecutive championship. On this Dec. 22 – in 2.5 weeks! – against the Clippers, it will be
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and several holdovers from the squad that beat Miami on Oct. 11 collecting their
jewelry*.

Jason of Beverley Hills, who designed the 2009 and 2010 rings, is on the job again, and his handiwork will be
presented on TNT (we’ll have the pregame and postgame show on Spectrum SportsNet for as many ring details as
possible).

If the ring reveal is the focus of the evening, the matchup itself is enticing as well. The Clippers weren’t able to
hold up their end of the expected clash between favored L.A. teams in the Western Finals, as they dropped a 3-1 lead
to ultimately lose to Denver. Interestingly, Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell goes from LAC’s closing lineup
to LAL’s rotation. The Lakers also added Sixth Man runner up Dennis Schroder, plus savvy vets Marc Gasol and Wesley
Matthews.

Meanwhile, the Clippers signed Serge Ibaka to replace Harrell and JaMychal Green, while trading Landry Shamet for
Luke Kennard; they also replaced coach Doc Rivers with his assistant, Tyronn Lue. They remain a top contender in the
West with a few other teams.

BETTER FOR THE WEST
Every Western Conference team catches an on-paper break for 2020-21: they have to play each another less!

In a normal season, teams play 10 of the 14 teams within their conference four times, and the other four teams three
times. Those 52 total games per team combine with 30 games against the opposing conference to get to 82.

But in this shortened 72-game season, those 10 fewer games are all trimmed off within conferences. So, the Lakers
will still play each of the 15 Eastern teams once at home, and once on the road, for 30 games. But they’ll play each
Western team three times (14 x 3 = 42). Of course, that means they’ll play seven Western teams twice at STAPLES and
once on the road, and the other seven twice on the road and once in Los Angeles.

Here’s that breakdown:

Two Lakers Home Games: POR, MIN, GSW, DEN, OKC, PHX, UTA
Two Lakers Road Games: SAS, MEM, HOU, DAL, LAC, NOP, SAC

In terms of opponent strength, the former group whom LAL get twice at home is a bit stronger on paper. However, it’s
unclear if fans will be able to return at any point of the season depending upon the evolution of the Pandemic, and
home court advantage may mean far less than in a normal season. Data is still coming in from the NFL and English
Premier League, for example, but it would appear that road teams are finding more success than is typical due in
part to the lack of fans cheering in the stands. Naturally.

However, there should be a clear advantage in playing the East more by percentage than the West. Last season, before
the Bubble, there were seven Eastern Conference teams (CLE, DET, ATL, NYK, CHI, CHA, WAS) that had fewer wins than
every Western team except MIN and GSW. Furthermore, the No. 7 seed in the East, BKN, was 30-34, compared to DAL in
the West, at 40-27. And, that was despite the conferences playing more amongst themselves than they will this year.

As such, with better overall talent spread more evenly in the West, we should see the win percentages go up
accordingly in the West.

SCHEDULE QUIRKS

Let’s dig into the details a bit…

VOGEL’S ROTATION

L.A.’s Game 6 win over Miami came on Oct. 11, an unprecedented 72 days before the Dec. 22 opener. For reference, the
2019 Finals ended on June 13, and the 2019-20 season began on Oct. 22, a gap of 131 days. Of course, the players
were also “off” from March 11 to Aug. 1 (about 140 days).

Here’s the point: we don’t know exactly what to expect from a rotation and playing time standpoint, in such unique
circumstances, especially for teams like the Lakers or Heat. What we do know: VP of Basketball Ops got Frank Vogel
some talented new toys to work with.

With LeBron and AD as the staples last season, Vogel shifted his starting and closing lineups around them throughout
the season, all the way through Game 6 of the Finals.

This season, on paper, LAL may have the best starting lineup and the best bench.

Here’s one option featuring no actual reporting or input from Vogel, his staff or his players:

Starters: Dennis Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol
Bench Rotation: Alex Caruso, Wesley Matthews, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Markieff Morris
Utility: Talen Horton-Tucker, Jared Dudley, Alfonzo McKinnie

KCP started and typically finished games all postseason in 2019-20. When Vogel’s No. 1 most trusted group was called
upon for Game 6 of the Finals, Caruso was on the floor. Morris started effectively when Vogel wanted to go small.
Kuzma capably filled in when LeBron or AD missed games, and was effective closing games when called upon.

Gasol started all but one of 55 games for East No. 2 seed Toronto, while Matthews started all 77 games for Milwaukee,
the one team with a better record than the Lakers. Harrell and Schröder were almost always in LAC and OKC’s
respective closing units.

Schröder said in his initial Zoom call with the media that he does want to start, in part to lessen the playmaking
load on LeBron. Now, Matthews, Caruso or Kuzma could also capably start in Schröder’s place, and make the Lakers a
bit bigger, though that would require LeBron to move back into the point guard role from which he led the NBA in
assists (10.2) last season. Meanwhile, 20-year-old THT could definitely crack the regular rotation as he continues
to improve.

Now, if LeBron or AD miss games, this roster has more players that can step in and carry an offense for a night. All
in all, regardless of how the rotation plays out, Vogel has a lot of really good options.

FEATURE GAMES

Dec. 25 vs. Dallas: The Lakers on Christmas is tradition, and this year’s matchup is fancy, with
LeBron and AD’s fellow MVP candidate Luka Doncic bringing his Mavericks to town. Doncic grew up idolizing LeBron,
who is in turn a huge fan of Doncic’s, who may be the lone player in the NBA that has the same passing instincts and
the size to deliver said passes who can also drop 30 points pretty easily. This was a super entertaining
matchup last season, and should be no different with several new players (like Josh Richardson for DAL) entering the
fray.

Jan. 18 vs. Golden State: Yes, some of the sexiness from this matchup went away with the super
unfortunate news that Klay Thompson will miss the year, but the Warriors still intrigue with the return of Steph
Curry and Draymond Green, plus Andrew Wiggins, newly-signed Kelly Oubre, Jr. and the drafting of No. 2 overall pick
James Wiseman. We’ll see what GSW get from a really young bench, but it’ll be great just to get Steph and Draymond
back on the other side of the court from LeBron.

Jan. 21 vs. Milwaukee: The East’s No. 1 seed in each of the last two regular seasons has more to
prove than the Lakers heading into this matchup, but the intrigue remains. Giannis Antetokounpo edged out LeBron for
MVP and Davis for DPOY last season, but the LAL duo grabbed the NBA’s Finals MVP and Larry O’Brien trophies (Giannis
was recently quoted saying that LeBron remains the world’s best player, a humble gesture no doubt). MIL added Jrue
Holiday in a 3-team trade, and he’ll occupy the starting spot of Wesley Matthews, who could start or come off the
bench for LAL.

Feb. 20 vs. Miami: The 2020 NBA Finals rematch will feature many of the tasty matchups we watched in
October, with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic back in South Beach. MIA did add Avery Bradley, who opted
out of the Bubble after starting for the Lakers for much of the regular season, while they lost Jae Crowder (PHX)
and Derrick Jones, Jr. (POR). LAL are well familiar with youngsters Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson already, and
Meyers Leonard could play a more prominent role as well.

Stay tuned for a breakdown of the other 36 games upon release later this season!