Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

The Lakers head into a weekend of winnable games vs. the Nets and Blazers, but must bring the appropriate amount of seriousness and execution to those matchups or risk giving back the progress they have made recently. Darius and Mike preview both contests and then take a look at the team's potential to climb up the standings as a couple of teams in front of them in the west face some challenges in...

The Lakers blew out the Mavericks with a strong second half showing, moving back to .500 in the process. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, breaking down improvements they're seeing offensively from the team as a whole, Anthony Davis' centrality to the offense and his improvement handling double teams, and the difference they're seeing in D'Angelo Russell's and how his feel for the offense h...

At the halfway point of the season the Lakers are 20-21 and in 10th place in a crowded and competitive Western Conference. Pete, Mike, and Darius dive into the standings, break down the different tiers, and debate potential risers, fallers, and where the Lakers fit into the mix. And then later, the guys look at the rest of January as a critical part of the Lakers schedule and discuss what a target...

The Lakers split their weekend games against the Jazz and Thunder, showing progress offensively in both games and instituting a starting lineup shift in the win vs. OKC. Pete and Darius discuss the games, what improvements they're seeing offensively, the challenges the new starting group is having on the backboards, the implementation of a zone defense from the bench groups, and much more. 

The Lakers got blown out by the Suns, and the loss brought back familiar questions about the team. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the current state of the Lakers and how they see the results on the court relating back to process, cohesion, execution, schematic and rotation decisions, and the makeup of the roster.

Lakers won a nailbiter against Toronto. Pete & Mike discuss this, Anthony Davis' offensive dominance, lineups that worked in the game, Austin's role in the starting lineup, D'Angelo Russell's importance to the team, & preview the upcoming game against the Suns.

The Lakers made some roster moves, waiving D'Moi Hodge and Alex Fudge from their two-way contracts and signing forward Dylan Windler and point guard Skylar Mays to replace them. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss these moves, with a look at how the Mays addition impacts rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino and allows him to get more minutes in the G-League for reps and court time as part of his development. And...

The Lakers had another eventful weekend, losing to Memphis on Friday but getting a much needed and quality win against the Clippers on Sunday to snap their four-game losing streak. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss those games, diving into the Lakers defense vs. Memphis, LeBron's strong all-around play vs. the Clippers, how the bigger lineups and defensive switching helped contain the Clippers offens...

The Lakers looked dispirited and discombobulated in a 110-96 home loss against a Miami team that was sharp & cohesive despite Jimmy Butler’s absence. Pete & Mike discuss the Lakers’ offensive confusion vs Miami’s zone, the turnovers and missed 3’s that resulted, and some of the options on the table as the team searches for answers.

The Lakers enter 2024 looking for consistency and a foundation they can build on to carry them through a pivotal, home-heavy January that can make or break their season. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss this stretch of games, how instability has contributed to the team's struggles to this point, and the importance of finding a rotation and strategic approach and sticking with it to get the most out...

The Lakers closed out 2023 with back-to-back losses vs. the Wolves and Pelicans that dropped them back down to .500 on the season. Pete and Darius discuss the nature of those games, but zoom out to take a bigger picture look at the team's struggles on offense, the structure (or lack thereof) the team plays with on both sides of the ball, how that lack of structure impacts the role players, and muc...

Is Anthony Davis currently the NBA's best American player? The question might seem far-fetched at first, but when considering his offensive production and DPOY level defense, his case is much more realistic. With AD on a tear this month and having an incredibly impactful season on both sides of the ball, Mike and Darius discuss the state of his game, his place in the league, and debate where he si...

The Lakers recent lineup change remains a work in progress, with questions remaining on how to navigate not only the new personnel groupings but the strategic shifts within them. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the updated starting five, the team's new switching defense, how to account for Austin Reaves within these schemes, why the Celtics and Thunder were test cases for playing top offenses with...

The Lakers made a big lineup change, moving Jarred Vanderbilt to the starting five in place of D'Angelo Russell and then promptly split their weekend games with a win over the Thunder and then a Christmas Day loss to the Celtics. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the details of the lineup shift, the schematic changes that came with it, and discuss how it played out in both games -- particularly the l...

Despite a strong effort from Anthony Davis and one of the better games from the team of late, the Lakers still lost to the Timberwolves on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive loss overall. Pete and Darius discuss the game, but also dive into some of the larger trends of late, including Austin Reaves led lineups, D'Angelo Russell's offensive floor, Cam Reddish's decision making, Rui bouncin...

The Lakers lost their third consecutive game and fourth out of five overall in Chicago on Wednesday night. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the state of the team, debate how much fatigue (in its many forms) are affecting the team right now, and explore how the shift towards more skilled offensive lineups has not delivered the sought after results of improved shooting. 

The Lakers struggled to score efficiently and were beaten in the paint and the backboards by the Knicks, leading to their third loss in their last four games. Pete and Darius discuss the game, the Lakers recent stretch of play, Rui's role and the team's general physical and mental fatigue in the aftermath of their run to the IST title. 

One-third of the way through the season, the Lakers’ backup bigs have provided mixed results. The guys discuss the team’s defensive issues at the 5 when AD isn’t on the floor, some of the potential solutions on the roster, and why Gabe Vincent’s imminent return presents Darvin Ham with interesting decisions going forward.

The Lakers got a dominant performance from Anthony Davis and took a big lead vs. the Spurs, and then were able to hold on for the win after a furious 4th quarter comeback led by Victor Wembanyama fell short at the end. Mike and Darius discuss AD's great game and what's gone into the scoring run he's on, what impressed them about Wemby's game on both ends of the floor, and much more. And then later...

Coming off their IST title over the weekend, the Lakers lost a tough game to a hot-shooting Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game, how Dante Exum's shooting made the Lakers defensive coverages pay, how the Lakers persevered and made it competitive with strong performances from Anthony Davis and LeBron, and much more. And then later, the guys discuss D'Angelo Ru...

The Lakers are the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament Champions! In part two of their discussion of the Lakers run to the IST Title, Pete, Mike, and Darius break down the win over Pacers, focusing on the team's defensive approach to slowing Indy's transition game, how they tweaked their pick-and-roll coverages vs. Tyrese Haliburton. Anthony Davis' amazing two-way performance, the deliberate and...

The Lakers are the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament Champions! In part one of two pod of their discussion of the Lakers run to the IST Title, Pete, Mike, and Darius zoom out to look at the tournament as a whole, what stood out to them about the Lakers approach to the games, and how LeBron and AD's leadership set the tone for the team's play throughout the tournament. And then later, the guys d...

The Lakers dominated the Pelicans on Thursday night to advance to the In-Season Tournament championship game. Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss how they did it -- from LeBron setting the tone and brilliant offensive performance to the team's overall defensive effort led by the team's wings but anchored by Anthony Davis. And then later, the guys discuss the matchup with the Pacers in Saturday's champi...

The Lakers take on the Pelicans on Thursday night in the In-Season Tournament semifinals taking place in Las Vegas. Pete and Darius preview the game on both sides of the ball, and discuss the difficulties of matching defending the Zion and Brandon Ingram duo, how the Pelicans bench shooting can impact the game, how the Pelicans defend Anthony Davis, how the Lakers skill guards will deal with New O...

In an exciting quarterfinals of the In Season Tournament, Lakers gutted out an exciting 106 to 103 win over the Suns. Pete & Mike discuss Anthony Davis' all-encompassing defense, LeBron's dominance, how the Lakers' season-high 21 offensive rebounds led to the Lakers having 27 more offensive possessions, Jaxson Hayes backing up AD at center and his ability to guard the perimeter, the guard rota...