What we learned from the Lakers’ preseason games and training camp

After five preseason games, the Lakers open their regular season Wednesday at home against the Golden State Warriors. The exhibition games offered some promising moments, other confounding connections between new teammates and a strong foundation for the new-look team hoping to keep growing through an 82-game season.

“You’re always trying to get better,” coach JJ Redick said Friday after the Lakers lost their final preseason game to the Denver Nuggets. “And even later in the season, you tweak plays, you tweak the offense and you tweak coverages. It’s constantly evolving. There’s no, like, ‘oh, we’re done. Now we’re going to go play.’ But we’re ready to go.”

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Here are five things we learned during the Lakers’ training camp and five preseason games:

Ziaire Williams makes his case

Lakers forward Ziaire Williams, left, tries to prevent Kings guard Emanuel Sharp from scoring in the lane during a preseason game earlier this month. (Sara Nevis / Associated Press)

Ziaire Williams played in only two of the five preseason games, but the 6-foot-9 forward emerged as one of the biggest winners of training camp. The Sierra Canyon High alumnus might go from veteran minimum contract to first-day starter. He was a perfect five-for-five shooting from three-point range during two preseason appearances — both starts — and averaged 13.5 points while taking on a prominent defensive role.

During his first two years as the Lakers coach, Redick admired Williams’ intent on the defensive end from afar and commended the forward’s willingness to defend other teams’ star players. And somehow, Williams, then playing for Brooklyn, always seemed to hit shots when he played against the Lakers.

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Now seeing Williams every day, Redick has come away even more impressed by the 25-year-old’s character and leadership qualities.

“Everybody in our building that has been around him for the last, you know, six to eight weeks just recognizes what a special human being he is,” Redick said. “I really believe in him as a player, and I think he’s got a lot of room to grow still, which is exciting for all of us.”

While Williams might be the…

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Publish date : 2026-10-17 17:00:00

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