Lakers Lounge

Anthony kicks off a season preview series of the Lakers' most important players with Luka Doncic, who has fully embraced being the face of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony and Pete debate whether LeBron and Luka's relationship on the court will be the biggest factor facing the Lakers this season, then discuss the ways they'd like to see both guys make each other better. Anthony starts the show by bringing back an old segment.

Anthony brought back one of the more popular segments from while Pete and he hosted Locked on Lakers together. They also jumped into the LeBron-Luka conversation. But really, orca facts.

After discussing how important Luka and LeBron operating together will be for next year, the guys discuss what kinds of sets or combinations they'd like to see.

One of our favorite guests stops by in this episode, as Kirk Henderson (Mavs Moneyball, Pod Maverick) checks in to talk about Luka Doncic's offseason. Is this body transformation actually different than past summers? The guys also talk about the Luka-Kyrie Irving combination and whether that willingness to make that work can extend to LeBron James. They wander around a little and then discuss the...

One popular response to Luka Doncic's body transformation from Mavericks fans who've paid closer attention to his career than Lakers fans has been: "He always does this. He slims down in the summer than gains weight during the season." Anthony poses this take to Kirk, who explains why it holds some truth but does think this is a little different than years past.

Anthony asks Kirk about the process of getting Luka and Kyrie to work together and whether that can extend to Luka and LeBron compounding their strengths next season. They then discuss the Mavericks as a contender next season, which leads to a comparison of Italian and Mexican food.

Anthony tried out a new format for this episode. Seeing as so many people have their thoughts on who the Lakers' fifth starter should be, he figured he'd harness that and use some of the better takes he saw in a tweet he sent on the matter. This led to a really fun, multi-faceted and fair conversation on the matter. We'll be doing this again.

It most likely comes down to two guys for the final starting gig. Anthony has a preference but there is definitely a case to be made for either. Let's hash it out together.

One concept lobbed out there as an option for the Lakers' starters was a variable group where, on some nights, Smart starts against a team with a perimeter-oriented primary creator and, on others, Rui starts to match up with a different kind of team. Anthony explains why he likes the idea in theory, but why it likely won't happen. He then gets interrupted by Myles and wraps with a couple questions...

Anthony opens all the various mailbags to answers your questions. First, though, he updates the Luka Doncic injury situation after he gave us all a scare over the weekend. Listeners asked about Rui sacrificing in a contract year, Luka's next co-star and plenty more.

Having to worry about injury scares in August just seems kind of mean, doesn't it? Anthony updates you on the situation and answers a mailbag question about whether the Lakers can step in to keep their superstar safe. It's not going to happen.

Anthony dips into the mailbag and listeners are still curious what the Luka Doncic era might look like, especially after LeBron James departs -- however that might be. Anthony explains why he thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo is the likeliest of the elite echelon to seek a trade.

Anthony goes game by game to break down a schedule that feels pretty manageable for the Lakers. It opens light and never feels overwhelming. As of right now, that's all we can ask for. From there, he dives into the ownership situation in Boston and how applicable that might be to the Lakers' own transfer of power. He wraps with some questions from the live audience.

Anthony has been predicting this (because it's how it usually goes) but the schedule-makers came through again. They're going to open the season with a couple easier stretches (relatively speaking), allowing themselves some momentum built on their continuity.

Anthony breaks down the similarities and differences between the Lakers' ownership change and the ones we've seen with the Mavericks and Celtics. He wraps with some questions from the live audience.

Anthony and Raj use this episode to simply nerd out. You want player combination rules? You got it. Team-wide identities? Check. Magic Johnson (the executive) slander? You betcha. This was a really fun conversation.

Is this another situation where the Lakers allow team seniority to prevent them from running a lineup that makes the most sense? Raj and Anthony agree about who should start, but disagree about who will actually get the nod.

Anthony still needs to see what the offense looks like and, based on that, would reconfigure some of his lineups. If LeBron and Luka are going to operate together, sweet, let's maximize that. If not, then they (are likely screwed) need to optimize those staggered groups.

In an offseason where Anthony has been telling people they don't always need to read all the way into stuff, LeBron and AD just did everything they could to force everyone to speculation as much as they want. The guys take a break from the lineup exercise to laugh at the situation.

Anthony has found himself thinking quite a bit lately about what Luka Doncic is capable of as a Laker. This got him to thinking: Can he crack the Lakers' Mt. Rushmore? What would that look like? Where does LeBron currently stand in this regard? He and Harrison talk about this and wander all around the notion of legacy in this iconic franchise.

Anthony and Harrison outline who they think belong on Mt. Lakemore, before diving into whether or not Luka can crack that list. They also laugh at how many teams 40-year-old LeBron would be the best player in the history of the franchise for.

There are four Lakers players who belong on Mt. Lakemore. If Luka Doncic is going to make that exclusive list, he's going to have to knock one of them off. So, it's worth asking: Can anyone currently etched into that mountain actually be knocked off?

A live viewer wanted to know what Anthony and Harrison could say about the rumors currently swirling about what the Lakers could've done with Jarred Vanderbilt or Gabe Vincent, among others. Yes, technically, they could have traded those guys, but you wouldn't have liked the cost of doing so.

Coming off the conversation Anthony and Pete had Friday, listeners wanted more media/reporting talk. Anthony explains his method of reporting, the potential pitfalls and why he covers the team the way he does. On the basketball side, he discusses the offensive and defensive ceiling -- and how he thinks the team will fare on both sides.