The Undefeated Lakers Head Out on the Road, with D’Angelo Russell Adjusting to a New Role

Meanwhile, Dalton Knecht is making a strong early impression.

Dalton Knecht vs. Sacramento

Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

© Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Table of Contents

Thought Starter...

The Lakers are 3-0, and now kick off their first road trip of the season starting tonight in Phoenix. From there, they’ll visit Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit and Memphis. That’s three playoff teams, and two that aren’t expected to be all that competitive. However it’s broken down, the trip underscores how nice it is for the Lakers to have started undefeated. It makes it a whole lot easier to return to LA once the trip is over with a record still at or above .500. And the way they’re playing, with confidence high and Anthony Davis dominating, surely the Lakers feel they can win more than they lose on the trip. So the record itself matters, and that’s strong. The vibes matter, too. And fortunately for the Lakers, the around the team are good, too.

Words of Wisdom...

On D’Angelo Russell’s Role: “DLO is the guy feeling this the most, for what it’s worth hit. The next two lowest usage percentage seasons for him are actually his most recent two with the Lakers.”

On Lakers’ Bench Dynamics: “Dalton Knechtt has really distinguished himself and it will be interesting to see if he does start to eat into the minutes of other players on the team.”

On Lakers’ Road Trip: “Five games, some winnable ones and some challenging ones.”