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LOS ANGELES – Front-row players LeBron James and Anthony Davis will not play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the team’s preseason opener on Friday against their city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center, according to the head coach Frank Vogel.
Along with that, Vogel said he’s still working on which players will and won’t touch the court, and that includes new additions like Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schröder and Wesley Matthews.
“As of tomorrow (Friday), Anthony and LeBron are not playing and some of the new players are yet to be determined,” Vogel said. “We haven’t made final decisions about which guys are going to play which games, other than Anthony and LeBron they won’t play tomorrow.”
With the team less than a week from training camp, Vogel said the final score is not a concern at the moment, as he quickly tries to prepare his team for the start of the regular season on Dec. 22.
“For me, it’s about our guys getting some opportunities to improve their conditioning, to get used to their playing environment with no fans in the building, in an arena,” Vogel said. “And for our guys to get their feet wet in terms of the habits they were trying to develop on training ground.
“It’s not really about winning or losing, especially early in the preseason. It’s about giving everyone the right opportunities. Enough work, but not too much. That’s what a successful game is going to be for me. “
Gasol said he has not been told if he will play Friday, but he is preparing like he has time against the Clippers.
“I’m getting ready to play,” Gasol said. “It will depend on the coach (Vogel). He’s managing the rotations and how to stagger the team to prepare for opening night. So I leave it completely up to you, and it’s your decision. ”
Vogel said he had almost a full group of players at practice Thursday. Alphonzo McKinnie is still out with an excused absence, Vogel said.
The Lakers will have target practice before Friday’s game at the team’s El Segundo facility. But on Sunday, because it’s an early game, Vogel said they will have target practice at the Staples Center.
When asked about the defining characteristics that emerged from his team since the start of camp, Vogel pointed to the movement of basketball and the speed of the team.
“I like the death IQ of this group,” Vogel said. “The ability we have to move the ball is something that stands out. I think our speed stands out, compared to someone like Dennis Schröder who is on the pitch for great minutes.
“He (Schröder) improves our speed on both sides of the ball. Our ability to contain, our ability to fly down the court like we did in the playoffs last year. Besides his ability to push on the open court and get into the paint, it’s really a different dynamic for us. “
