Laker Film Room - Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball

Talen Horton-Tucker and Dwight Howard are set to rejoin the Lakers after the team was reported to sign Jemerrio Jones to a 10-day contract and Mason Jones to a two-way deal. In this episode, Pete and Darius discuss the impact of these reinforcements, more on how Trevor Ariza helps, and continue their discussion on how the team can get the most out of this stretch without Anthony Davis. Visit https...

In only the span of a few days, the Lakers have lost Anthony Davis for at least a month to a knee injury, had several players go into the NBA's health and safety protocols, signed Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, and had Trevor Ariza return to the lineup in his first action of the season after ankle surgery in September. Pete and Darius discuss all this news, including...

What a 24 hours for the Lakers, who see Russell Westbrook and Avery Bradley join Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker in the health and safety protocols, Malik Monk produce negative tests and be able to rejoin the team, and the signing of Isaiah Thomas as a backup guard with a hardship exemption. Pete and Darius discuss all the latest news, while also getting into how the team might approach the...

After Wayne Ellington knocked down a last second 3-pointer to force overtime and Austin Reaves hit a near buzzer beater 3 to close out the OT, the Lakers won a thriller of a game vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday night. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss all things from the game -- including Mike pinch hitting on the radio call -- to break down the team's resilience, Austin's big shot, why the LeBron at...

The NBA is under siege with new COVID cases and the Lakers are the most recent team to be impacted as Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, and Malik Monk all enter the NBA's health and safety protocols. As we all hope for low impact cases, quick recoveries, and containment of the virus, the basketball will (for now) go on. With that, Pete, Mike, and Darius react to the news by first discussing THT'...

Five years ago today, the Laker Film Room Podcast was born. Today, then, we celebrate the only way we know how: with another podcast. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss all things LFR podcast -- from the origin story of how it all came together to some of their favorite memories from doing the pod and everything in between. A special thanks to all of you who continue to listen and have supported us al...

The Lakers posted consecutive blowout wins over the weekend and LeBron James was the central reason why in both games. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Bron's resurgence and how it's come right as it's been most needed by both the team and, really, for himself. Later the guys talk about LeBron's improving health and how those have combined with schematic tweaks from the team to help him succeed.  Vi...

After another disappointing loss on Thursday night, the Lakers have to take a long look in the mirror to determine what type of team they're going to be. Are they going to play hard every night? Are they going to commit to executing on both sides of the ball? Or, are they going to continue to cough up the ball on offense and only care half the time on defense? Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the cu...

Pete & Mike discuss whether there is a paradigm shift in Coach Vogel's lineups, as evidenced by the win over the Celtics, discussing whether this Lakers' team can be a small ball team led by ball handling, as opposed to shooting. Later, they discuss whether this upcoming road trip can further galvanize the team, and Mike reminisces about a momentous road trip during his first year with the Lak...

The Lakers took down the hated Celtics on Tuesday night in what was likely their best performance of the season. Pete & Darius discuss a great night that featured AD's return to the 5, Russell Westbrook's contributions on both ends, LeBron setting the tone, and more. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets.

Through a quarter of the season, the Suns and the Warriors have differentiated themselves as the class of the Western Conference and, really, as two of the best teams in the entire NBA. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss what stands out to them about what those teams are doing, in what areas the Lakers currently lag behind them and how they can close that gap. Later, the guys discuss where the Lakers...

Pete & Mike break down the Lakers' game against the Clippers on Friday, talking about the starting lineup, spacing, THT's effectiveness defending Paul George on defense, and much more. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/lfr/ to save $10 on your first order of tickets.

The Lakers got some unexpected good news on Thursday, with LeBron James returning from health and safety protocols earlier than expected and Trevor Ariza participating in his first practice of the season. In this episode, Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss a rare bit of good fortune and the ramifications of Dwight Howard replacing DeAndre Jordan in the starting lineup.

Malik Monk is proving to be exactly what the Lakers need as a backup guard who can change the game with his shot making and scoring ability. His 2nd half vs. the Kings, where he posted a +41 in the boxscore, attests to that. But, with LeBron James out, should Monk take on a bigger role and be moved to the starting lineup? If so, who should he replace? Is his defense good enough to play a bigger ro...

Dwight Howard was not expecting to play against the Kings on Tuesday night. Then, after only a few minutes into the game, Frank Vogel put DeAndre Jordan on the bench and turned to his future Hall of Fame big man for a defensive spark and energetic play. 35 minutes later, Dwight had scored 12 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and was a +27 in the boxscore. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss Dwight's big...

How much Center should LeBron play? Why have these lineups worked and how taxing are those minutes? What teammates fit best next to LeBron when he plays the 5 and can they survive defensively? With Frank Vogel saying he likes the looks of the lineups with LeBron at the 5 and committing to giving them more time, Pete, Mike, and Darius answer these questions and explain why they're on board with thi...

The Lakers are a .500 team through 22 games and a common theme in the contests they've won is that they have done a lot of the "little things" well. And, the opposite is very much true in the games they've lost. Pete, Mike, and Darius explore this idea of the little things and why the Lakers don't always commit to doing them, even though it clearly impacts winning and losing on a fundamental level...

The Lakers loss to the Knicks followed a familiar formula where the team showed a real lack of urgency and an inability to muster the needed effort to compete and win during a key stretch of the game. Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss this trend, why it happens, and how the team ultimately worked their way out of that funk to go on the run that got them back into the game vs. the Knicks. Later, the g...

Injuries and early season struggles have led Frank Vogel to try a variety of different lineups as he searches for solutions. In this episode, Pete and Darius discuss the hints and clues found in the resulting lineup data, including THT’s positive impact on an emerging Russ + AD group, the team’s surprising rebounding struggles when LeBron is on the floor, and more. Visit https://www.tickpick.com/l...

On a day LeBron James got ejected for a flagrant 2 foul and the Lakers nearly found themselves in a brawl as a result, the team had a great comeback win over the Pistons. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game's events, including how Russell Westbrook put the team on this back in the 4th quarter, how Anthony Davis joined him, and how Frank Vogel made some strategic shifts to help his team along t...

As the Lakers continue to start Anthony Davis at Center and, in general, shift towards lineups that only play a single traditional big man at a time, their defensive approach will need to continue to be refined and adapt to these new lineup types. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the evolving nature of the Lakers defense, using the success of the zone defense the team played against the Bucks as a j...

The Lakers may have lost to the Bucks, but the positive steps taken offensively and some of the adaptability they showed defensively were encouraging. Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the game and, more specifically, why Russell Westbrook's decision making within offensive possessions was a key driver of the team's success on that end of the floor. Later, the guys discuss Talen Horton-Tucker's conti...

With a 5-game road trip about to begin and LeBron James returning soon, the Lakers are facing an important part of their schedule that Frank Vogel believes will be "good for the team." Pete and Darius break down the specific things they'd like to see improve on this trip and why playing with better pace and tempo are a key part of the identity the team is trying to form. Later, the guys discuss An...

The Lakers suffered another blowout loss on Monday night, falling to the Bulls in a game that saw the defense struggle to contain Chicago's dynamic guards and the offense sputter under the weight of active and creative double teams. Pete, Darius, and Mike discuss the game, highlighting some of the offensive struggles from the game and detailing why they fit into some larger issues on that side of...

The Lakers got a much needed bounce-back win on Sunday vs. the Spurs and a major lineup shift combined with the return of Talen Horton-Tucker were big reasons why. Pete and Darius start out talking Kent Bazemore's DNP-CD, but then dive deep on THT's return, highlighting how well he played on offense, his improved defensive effort and execution, and how his play down the stretch really helped seal...