Yes, it’s Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League, so he wasn’t exactly facing a stalwart NBA defense, but Lakers fans have to be happy with the way Kobe Bryant played Sunday night at Staples. While his resume might say differently, he was very efficient, needing only 10 shots (6/10 overall and 4/6 3pt) for his team-high 21 points, and he even got a sneaky strip and a killer dime in his 18 minutes of action, two facets of his game — his passing and defense — that have taken a lot of abuse during his injury-plagued last couple of seasons.
Look at this fun little give-and-go with D’Angelo Russell.
Or the cagey way he strips this Haifa player from behind.
He went on to hit a turnaround jumper on the other end there, and he looks fresh despite playing less than 20 minutes. That’s only a good omen for L.A.’s chances once the season starts.
Are they the Memphis Grizzlies? Of course not, but while most NBA fan bases have nestled comfortably in the schadenfreude on display the last two years in Laker land, they’ve got a little something going here.
Julius Randle looked impressive down in the muck near the basket, scoring 14 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Here’s his paint-heavy shot chart.
And D’Angelo Russell, their actual rookie — though Randle might as well be one — had 11 dimes in under 19 minutes of action.
Another good sign: If you’re an open Laker, Russell — who didn’t start — “will find you.”
Then there’s Roy Hibbert, who had 16 rebounds (seven offensive) in under 23 minutes of action. He also had five dimes and three blocks to go with his eight points — doing exactly what he needs (defense and rebounding) to make his summer acquisition a net positive.
The Lakers look pretty good, now let’s see them do it against an actual NBA team.
