A fans perspective 

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

No Luka, no LeBron & now no Reaves

That was how it looked Monday evening as the Lakers faced the Blazers in Portland. The last time the teams faced one another in this early season saw the Blazers run the table winning the game 122-108. I had written and continue to believe, a team must adopt a “Next man up” mentality in order to win. That’s exactly what occurred at the end of the evening, the Lakers were winners 123-115. With vital members of the Lakers missing how in the world did they accomplish the task in front of them. It came from the efforts of Deandre Ayton, from Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, even Bronny James made a positive appearance. As for a few of the numbers whether it was revenge or something else Ayton led the way with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

Rui scored 28  points and Jake scored 11 points but contributed tough hard nose defense. As for Bronny he only scored 5 points but added 6 assists and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench. The mindset of the Lakers team seems to be very high at this time and I wish to include a Deandre report. He claims JJ Redick has made all the difference for him and guess what I believe him. I would be remiss if I failed to mention Nick Smith Jr., the guard picked up in September on a two-way contract certainly made his presence felt. Smith Jr. came off the Laker bench with 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting and 5 of 6 from three. It is far too early to project anything but this team certainly appears to have plenty of gumption, they must remain healthy in order to effectively compete in the tough, tough Western Conference. Currently this member of Laker Nation is quite pleased with the team in front of me.

Meanwhile….

Ja Morant despite his apparent talent has been a “wrecking ball” since his arrival in the NBA. When not injured, which has occurred often in his short career, he’s run into problems with the Grizzlies and the NBA. In his 6 year career he’s now been suspended for the third time, this latest incident was only a  one game suspension but it came about due to his interaction with the Grizzlies coaching staff. His history details an 8-game ban in 2023 and 25-games to start the 2023-24 season. You realize of course there are athletes who play their careers without a single suspension and Ja has three.  Is he history with the Grizzlies….probably not, however, how many more opportunities are they going to give him before they decide he’s not worth the problems he creates no matter the talent he displays on the court.

Why am I writing a conclusion on something that’s yet to occur? This is being done because my hope ESPN’s NCAA Bracket expert Joe Lunardi is wrong. His bracket presented before the college season begins has Mizzou earning a tournament berth. That’s the good, as for the bad the bracket he’s placed them in. Lunardi has them projected as an 8 seed, they would face number 9 Southern Cal, should they win this game comes the hammer. Mizzou would likely face the Houston Cougars who are listed at the top seed in the South Bracket. I can only hope Lunardi is right (Mizzou) earning an invite but the fact Lunardi is incorrect and Houston is placed in another bracket.

The 2025-26 college basketball season has begun with Florida attempting to win back to back championships. A small number of schools have accomplished this feat beginning with HBCU Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State), the school won 3 NAIA championships 1957, 1958, and 1959, Tennessee State is now a Division I program. At nearly the same time UCLA was winning consecutive championships so was HBCU Kentucky State. UCLA won in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. HBCU Kentucky State won 3 NAIA championships 1970, 1971 and 1972, the school is now an NCAA Division II program. As you note by the date this feat was accomplished at an earlier period, a time that witnessed the majority of players enrolled for 3-4 years rather than leave for the NBA. 

This is the NBA from a different view which is quite interesting. Point guard Jason “White Chocolate” Williams known more for his time with the Kings had an interesting observation. He played from 1998-2011 and won an NBA championship while a member of the Heat. Based on the time period Williams played he witnessed the evolution of the game. Discussing this in an interview with basketballnetwork.com Williams claims, “The NBA has more talent now.” Rest assured there are large numbers of former NBA players who are likely to come forth counter his view of the NBA then versus now. Personally I’m in the middle on this one, I believe portions of the game are played at a higher skill level while other elements have suffered.

X factor or at least one of them

This member of Laker Nation like most of you had no idea who Jake LaRavia was. If you were a student, alumni or fan of Wake Forest basketball you knew the name, as for the balance of us…that’s a different matter. In the 2022 draft the 6-foot 7 forward was drafted by the Wolves as the 19th pick in the first round, his draft rights were later traded to the Grizzlies. LaRavia would spend 2 ½ seasons in a Grizzlies jersey and in January 2025 he was traded to the Kings. July 2025 free agent witnessed LaRavia signing a 2 year contract with the Lakers. I believe Laker Nation might have adopted the stance I did, “I hope he is able to help the team.” Injuries are part of the game, at the same time the question always becomes who fills the void for injured players?

He’s registered games of 27 points, 13 and 25 in his most recent game against the Heat. This look at LaRavia is written and will be read after the Lakers Monday evening game against the Blazers. The question was posed in the headline, the experts have given the Lakers little chance of winning the West let alone the NBA championship. I have long been convinced there is no requirement for an All-Pro at every position, there are glue guys always needed. For me glue guys are those who fill the void when starters are missing in action. In addition they are always ready as reserve players, could LaRavia or Marcus Smart be that glue guy? The season is far too fresh to determine how valuable one is to their team however it’s interesting to look ahead. By the way, Ant Man injured and on the Wolves bench was reported to have said “Who is number 12,” which proves the early statement? LaRavia is an unknown name to even some in the NBA.