Name: With limited ways to build chemistry, Lakers’ on-court success has helped
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With limited ways to build chemistry, Lakers’ on-court success has helped

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By | | After Tuesday night in Houston, , but he didn’t seem to mind.A little light betting is part of the ecosystem of many teams. A post-practice shooting session has a touch more urgency if there are a couple of bucks on the line. Flubs like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s or Montrezl Harrell’s missed dunks can be a little funnier knowing that they’ll have to “put something in the pot,” as Schröder put it.And then there are moments like LeBron James’ no-look 3-pointer, which drew attention all over social media and was spiced up with the anecdote that Schröder had put a spur-of-the-moment wager on the shot. To the Lakers, this is all in good fun – and in a season darkened by the uncertainty of the pandemic, they can use as much of it as they can manage.“I think it’s all about having fun and being happy with your job,” Schröder said. “So I think everybody when they wake up, they like to come to work and I think that’s pretty important for us and I’ll always be on the sidelines and just talking and trying to get everybody engaged.”Somewhere far down the list of things that are not as good as they once were in the NBA this year is team chemistry. The 2019-20 Lakers were praised for their chemistry, . But building chemistry is easy when you can attend birthday and Christmas parties together, or spend road trips renting out the back rooms of restaurants, or have any kind of together time at all.That time is more limited than ever this season. It was already difficult for teams to spend time together before Tuesday, For at least the next two weeks, road trips are all eating in individual hotel rooms.Coach Frank Vogel might have unintentionally revealed more than he wanted to when he said he wasn’t sure how the Lakers are building chemistry on the road.“I leave them alone on the road,” he said. “I know that we just have a good group of guys. Whether we’re able to have dinners, like we did last year, or it’s just time on the plane, time on the bus, time in practice, in film sessions, we’ve got a good group of guys that have the mindset to learn each other, get to know each other and build that chemistry.”In the relatively insulated NBA environment, it’s hard to know exactly what road travel is like these days, but clues have emerged: The Lakers hardly practice, thanks in part to protocols that require daily testing prior to the team getting together. There aren’t long nights in clubs or restaurants. The bulk of the time the team spends together is on the plane, or the bus, or at the games themselves.This season as much as any is showing how teams can thrive when they’re winning, or short-circuit quickly when the chemistry isn’t on the court – there’s no way to supplement it other than basketball. It can lead to epic blowouts like the one in Houston, after which to prevent him from undermining the rest of the team.The issues that could have been dogging the Lakers throughout the year were largely taken care of in the offseason: James, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma are all signed to long-term contracts. The most significant player looking for a new contract, Schröder has publicly signaled that he’s willing to do an extension, perhaps as soon as February.The consensus from players is that while there have been some adjustments and growing pains, Schröder and veteran center Marc Gasol are starting to get a feel for their roles. That’s played out with the eye test, as Schröder has gotten a better feel for passing in the offense, and as Gasol has become a more consistent playmaker from atop the arc. The Lakers’ starting lineup has a 29.6 net rating in 113 minutes, which is better than any healthy group in the NBA (only the Brooklyn Nets have a higher net rating with Spencer Dinwiddie before he suffered a season-ending injury).It might not be quite as fulfilling to have only on-court chemistry, but for now, the Lakers’ start in this area looks to be, like almost everything else, ahead of the curve.“Everybody on this team has that winning mindset and that grit, that competitiveness to win,” Montrezl Harrell said. “It’s a great characteristic to have.”second-year forward Zion Williamson will suit up for the Pelicans against the Lakers on Friday night. He has averaged 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds through nine games, and the Clippers topped New Orleans on Wednesday night without him.But a familiar face is set to miss the game: point guard Lonzo Ball was listed out with left knee tendinopathy. The former No. 2 overall draft pick of the Lakers, Ball has averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds this year. Fellow point guard Eric Bledsoe is questionable with right eye irritation.The Lakers’ Wesley Matthews progressed toward a return after missing the entire three-game trip with soreness in his right Achilles tendon. The team listed him as questionable for Friday, along with LeBron James (left ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (back tightness). Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is listed as probable with a left ankle sprain. Jared Dudley (sore right calf) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (right knee tendinitis) remain out.SCHRODER: "I told him to bet a Benjamin on it. He shot it, turned around &amp; said, 'Bet.' Then it went in. It's just legendary."LEBRON: "I took the bet while I was still shooting the ball. A bet isn't official until you look a man in the eye."— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife)We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Get the latest news delivered daily!Follow UsMost PopularClose

By | | After Tuesday night in Houston, , but he didn’t seem to mind.A little light betting is part of the ecosystem of many teams. A post-practice shooting session has a touch more urgency if there are a couple of bucks on the line. Flubs like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s or Montrezl Harrell’s missed dunks can be a little funnier knowing that they’ll have to “put something in the pot,” as Schröder put it.And then there are moments like LeBron James’ no-look 3-pointer, which drew attention all over social media and was spiced up with the anecdote that Schröder had put a spur-of-the-moment...

With limited ways to build chemistry, Lakers’ on-court success has helped

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