ANAHEIM--The Honda Center was packed, which was a far cry from the sparse spattering of fans that had turned up a season earlier.
"To me, it feels right," Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton said about the crowd, following his team's 108-99 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves to start the preseason. "I mean, that's what it's supposed to be like."
Walton added, "I was shocked last year."
The sellout 18,000 fans braving the Orange Country freeways on Saturday night came to see the new face of the franchise, 19-year-old Lonzo Ball. The former UCLA Bruin and Chino Hills native lived out his dream when he heard his name called out by Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers' long-time P.A. announcer.
"It felt great, especially when they called my name and stuff and all the fans were cheering and stuff," Ball said after the game. "That's what you dream about as a kid. It was finally here. That was a great moment, but at the end of the day, now I have a job to do."
Lonzo Ball introduced for the Lakers for the first time. pic.twitter.com/8MHNyLXZAA— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) October 1, 2017
On what in many ways felt like his first day on the job, Ball finished the night with five points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and three turnovers. On occasion, the mistakes came from the kid looking to pass the ball when he had an open shot.
"He's so unselfish that sometimes he has good shots for himself and he tries to get someone else a shot," Walton said about his rookie point guard. "We want him taking those (shots)."
While Ball filled up the box score, the Lakers' defense looked suspect, especially in the first half, and the Timberwovles enjoyed 61 points in the first half. Long Beach native Shabazz Muhammad, who also attended UCLA and was rumored to be a player the Lakers were interested in over the summer, led the Timerwolves' effort on the night. Muhammad finished with 22 points to lead all scorers and also added six rebounds in the win.
For the Lakers, Kyle Kuzma stood out, as the rookie forward finished with a team-high 19 points on 9-12 shooting, to go along with five rebounds. The Flint, Michigan native continued to impress fans and quickly became a crowd favorite on Saturday night, drawing loud choruses of "Kuuuuuuuuz" after made baskets.
With Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague joining Karl-Anthony Town and Andrew Wiggins, the Minnesota Timberwolves are projected to be a playoff team at the least, so there was no shame in losing to Minnesota for the young, developing Lakers.
"We've got to get in much better shape for the way we want to play," Walton shared his thoughts from the preseason opener. "I felt like fatigue was a factor when we had breakdowns."
The coach added, "We've got a couple weeks to where we want to be."
Lakers locking arms for the national anthem tonight pic.twitter.com/w2qQ8mK83J— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) October 1, 2017
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After the game, the coaching staff expects to work late into the night cutting up and analyzing game footage to package up and show the players. The Lakers will hold practice on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in El Segundo.
Monday, the Lakers look to get their first preseason win against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center.
Notes: Prior to the game, Ball was in the locker room listening to music off his phone with fellow rookie Josh Hart dancing. The artist of choice was Lonzo Ball.
