Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James made a major impact in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019 NBA preseason debut against the Golden State Warriors.
Davis finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds while James added 15 points and eight assists in the team’s 123-101 victory.
Also of note is that both players were on the floor for just 18 minutes each and did not play in the second half. Balancing players’ workloads in the preseason while also giving them enough time to build needed chemistry is a tough act for head coach Frank Vogel, but one that he must figure out.
With the Lakers headed to China for a pair of games against the Brooklyn Nets, Vogel was asked how he would handle minutes for his All-Star duo overseas and he expects more of the same, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We’ll see. Probably similar to tonight, maybe a little bit more. I’ll meet with those guys and with the medical team and we’ll make a smart decision on that.”
This, of course, was asked immediately after the Lakers first preseason game against the Warriors and now there are some questions surrounding these games. Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey sent out a tweet that angered the Chinese government and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has publicly backed his right to free speech.
In response, China has chosen not to air the two Lakers-Nets games on TV or the internet and many Chinese celebrities have chosen not to participate in NBA-related events. And now there is concern the games could be cancelled altogether, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
There is concern the two games between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers will be cancelled, a person in China with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive situation.
Until news comes down that the games are actually cancelled, surely both sides will continue as if they will be played. Both teams are already in China so to take that trip and not actually play the games would be an unfortunate situation.
Assuming the games do take place as scheduled, it seems likely that James and Davis will be on the same schedule which makes sense. The two are continually trying to build chemistry amongst themselves and the rest of the team, but Vogel will make sure he doesn’t overwork his All-Star players before the regular season begins.