Lakers Lounge

With the Lakers on a six-game winning streak that includes four of their most impressive wins of the season, Anthony is feeling a certain way about this team. So, he and Harrison have a decision to make: Should they lean into the optimism knowing how it usually turns out when Anthony does that, or should they find some reason not to believe. SCREW IT, WE SAY.

Anthony and Harrison discuss LeBron learning what the Lakers need from him and applying that knowledge to make this whole thing work the way it has recently, as well as the progress Luka has made has a player (especially defensively) and leader.

Luka is one technical foul away from suspension, which has made him behave very differently towards officials (and potentially made him a better player).

Harrison makes arguably the strongest point for believing in these Lakers: Sports are supposed to be fun. You may as well enjoy the good moments as much as you can.

There's real value in beating good teams when you don't necessarily have it. That's exactly what we saw from the Lakers as they we able to survive a hideous game in Houston against the Rockets. Anthony and Raj break down the game, discuss this Lakers defense and wrap with questions from the live audience.

Anthony and Raj marvel at the basketball Luka Doncic is playing, then they dive into his impact on this game, as well as the culture being built around him in real time.

Austin played the perfect take-what-you-want type of game, so both guys explain why they actually liked what they saw from him against Houston's athleticism. Anthony is also starting to come around on the Lakers defense, so he asks Raj if he feels the same way.

Marcus Smart being moved into the starting group has made a world of difference. The guys explain why and tackle other topics the live audience was interested in.

Anthony had to wait 12 whole hours to recap that win over the Nuggets, but seeing as he hadn't touched the ground since Luka hit that shot we think this still counts as an instant reaction pod. Buckle up and get ready to smile, folks.

In their own way, Luka, Austin and LeBron found ways to beat the Nuggets. They're learning how to play together and the results back that up too. Anthony discusses their performances in that win over Denver.

Most of the year, Anthony has criticized anyone and everyone remotely tied to the Lakers. Since the all-star break, the team has proven him, the front office and anyone else who didn't believe in them wrong. Anthony discusses that, then takes questions from the live audience.

Anthony recaps a fun, confident win against the Bulls that featured a whole bunch of Luka Doncic, LeBron James returning, Deandre Ayton playing well again and Austin cementing himself as option number two.

JJ Redick called attention to the way Luka Doncic has been talked about for most of this season and, honestly, he makes a good point. Anthony builds on that point and celebrates everything Doncic did in that win. He also discusses LeBron's performance as he finds a way to fit into this new Lakers hierarchy.

Anthony gives props to Deandre Ayton's continued solid play, which has become all the more crucial with Jaxson Hayes potentially sidelined a bit. Then, he wraps by answering questions from the live youtube chat.

Anthony has seen all the takes about Bam Adebayo's big night and is sick of NBA Twitter telling Lakers fans how they should feel about everything, especially as that pertains to Kobe Bryant. He follows that up by discussing Deandre Ayton's interesting presser after last night's game, then he dives into the mailbag and live Q&A.

Anthony shares his final thoughts on Bam Adebayo passing Kobe Bryant the other night and the response to it. Essentially, NBA Twitter needs to stop telling Lakers fans how to feel about stuff. It's an ugly habit.

A listener asked about all the players who have walked the hallways of Lakers facilities and eventually walked for nothing. The list is painfully long. Anthony explains what's gone into that unfortunate trend, then explains why he'd rather the Lakers trade the pick they can use this summer as the Lakers organization is currently constructed.

After the Lakers beat the Knicks, Anthony offered what he thought the lesson from that win was, in terms of how the Lakers need to play moving forward. Now, another huge win later playing a similar style, that lesson from the other day is getting pretty loud. He and Harrison enjoy the win, discuss this identity moving forward and then try not to sound too salty about Bam Adebayo's night. They wrap...

Anthony and Harrison recap that great win over the Wolves and start the conversation on how the Lakers can build on this moving forward (preferably with LeBron James).

The Lakers have found the identity they need to roll with moving forward. They've done so while LeBron James hasn't been playing. Whenever he comes back, they'll need him to adopt that approach or else they have no chance. Can fans realistically hope to see that happen?

The midrange game opens everything up for Austin. It's becoming that simple. Anthony and Harrison discuss that, then quickly talk about why Bam's night was more annoying than anything and wrap with questions from the live audience.

Anthony and Raj heard all the noise over the last 24 hours about the Lakers potentially not needing LeBron James and they just don't get it. They discuss Anthony's solution, why the Lakers can't afford to just cast off one of their top-three players, stan culture and more.

For basically two straight decades, LeBron could pace himself and still be/fit better than any teammate who'd play instead. That isn't necessarily the case any longer.

Anthony thinks LeBron should play a fewer minutes so that he can play harder while he's out there. Raj explains why he doesn't think it'd make a difference. What do you think?

Anthony isn't exactly Mr. Positive all the time but he isn't often pretty surprised by the way the Lakers are talked about compared to their competition, both nationally and within their own fan base.