Even as the Lakers are winning more games (7-3 over their last 10, 18-8 over their last 26), it's still a little tricky to figure out exactly what they are. How good are they? Are they more contender than pretender? What do you make of some of the big wins, like Milwaukee I and II, Minnesota, OKC, etc?

They're clearly much too good to be the genuinely mediocre/middish team they looked like they might be after the post-IST slump. Likely the Lakers finish 10-12 games over .500, which last year would have been enough for around a 4-seed in the West. Now? Likely ninth. But they're clearly not among the elite, either. Unless you're just thinking of results against the high end teams, in which case... they kind of are?

So much to sort out.

One big Q: Do the Lakers themselves- players and coaching staff- feel like they know? And more importantly, do they agree on the answer?

Meanwhile, the Lakers are getting nothing from their bench. Two points on Sunday, and not much more than that on most nights. How important is that, especially as we get closer to the playoffs, and a theoretical return for Jarred Vanderbilt, as well?

Finally, LeBron's greatness creates hard questions for Rob Pelinka now, and down the road.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, with Guest Aaron Larsuel!

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are winning, but do we really know what they are?

SEGMENT 2: Is the bench really a problem?

SEGMENT 3: LeBron now, LeBron down the road...

Because the Lakers are fairly set heading into the 2023-24 season - the primary members of the rotation are more or less set, there are no big controversies, no huge position battles - fans are intensely curious about the one big thing that isn't yet settled:

Who's gonna start at small forward?

Darvin Ham, not surprisingly, hasn't yet committed to answering that question - they haven't even had three practices or played a preseason game - but different players are getting a chance to audition for that spot. Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura will all get reps with the named starters (Russell, Reaves, James, Davis). Ham's decision will probably be less about who "wins", and rather which player makes the most sense with that group, and how the choice impacts the rest of the rotation. Which combinations in the second unit would make the most sense? Well, you can't always put those together as easily if one of those dudes is a starter.

The good news? Nobody in that crew is going to complain if they're not in the opening five. Hachimura has already made it clear he's much more concerned about finishing games than starting them.

Other things to watch: Anthony Davis.

His jumper has been receiving a fair amount of attention, with Reaves praising it on one of the many, many podcasts on which he's appeared. The perception is that Davis's outside game has fallen off over the last couple of seasons... but is that really the case? 3-point shooting, for sure, but is that the only thing that matters? Does it really matter anymore if Davis stretches a defense all the way past the arc? It seems like he's a lot less interested in that part of his game, based on shot attempts over the last few seasons.

Finally, Denver head coach Michael Malone said Wednesday that he's not paying attention to the Lakers, and hasn't heard what players have been saying about having a little extra interest and motivation to play his Nuggets following all the post-playoffs chatter this summer. From Denver. Mostly from Malone.

He was very complimentary towards the Lakers... but is he really being serious?

Just another reminder, whether talking about the Lakers or other teams, never ever expect the things they say to motivate their team, frame the challenge or anything similar to actually reflect reality. That's not how this works.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Who is going to start at small forward?

SEGMENT 2: What are the tradeoffs Ham is balancing?

SEGMENT 3: AD's jumper and Mike Malone's amnesia.

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The Lakers managed to turn some bad mojo into good vibes heading into the break, and not surprisingly it was built at least in part around not just consistency in the rotation, but a type of consistency that played towards the preferences of the players on the roster.

Of course, all (or at least much) of this happened with certain guys, namely Max Christie and Cam Reddish (let alone Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent) unavailable. That simplifies things for Darvin Ham. But they won't stay simple forever. Reddish and Christie are both expected to be back if not on Thursday when the Lakers kick off the "second half," soon after. They've both played real roles in the rotation to this point in the season. What does Darvin do when they're available again?

What should it look like? Which players ought to play? How does Spencer Dinwiddie's presence impact all of this?

Meanwhile, the Lakers don't have the flexibility going forward to screw up any of their remaining games against the league's lesser teams. That might be Friday against San Antonio, or two games against the Wizards, or Toronto or anyone else. Because when it's not those guys, it's nothing but high end playoff teams. In one upcoming stretch, the Lakers play seven straight against teams currently qualifying for some type of postseason play, and 10 of 12.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers have shifted the vibes heading into the second half.

SEGMENT 2: What does Darvin Ham do with the rotation going forward?

SEGMENT 3: We'll find out quickly how much the Lakers have improved.

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In the wake of an All-Star Game for the ages—not in a good way—it's important to remember that for Lakers fans, the most important thing to come from the weekend wasn't anything related to the competition, but things LeBron James said.

Talking to the media ahead of the game, James made it clear that he's happy in L.A., happy being a Laker, has been happy being a Laker for the last six seasons, and (assuming nothing drastic changes, and not being able to see everything in the future) anticipates finishing his career in a Lakers uniform.

That, in theory at least, should put most of the speculation around LeBron's future, after the emojis and Knicks flirtations and all the other stuff. Right? Right???

Well, maybe not, but for a lot of reasons, this has always been the most likely outcome, assuming the Lakers don't decide early to call off the relationship, or LeBron doesn't have some wholly unique opportunity with another team (likely related to playing with his son). So what does that mean for the Lakers going forward? On the one hand, it gives the Lakers a sense of predictability. On the other, it reinforces the tricky nature of building a team with him as a main cog.

Meanwhile, his ankle thing is real, and treatment, he said, might cause him to miss Thursday's game in San Francisco. If that's the case, should James have played at all on Sunday?

Finally, a very interesting statistic regarding the Lakers offense and Anthony Davis.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: LeBron says he's happy in LA.

SEGMENT 2: What does LeBron's commentary at the ASG do for them going forward?

SEGMENT 3: LeBron's ankle, plus #s on Davis.

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The Lakers kick off the second half of the season tonight in San Francisco against the Warriors, and they'll do it without LeBron James.

He was downgraded to "out" on Wednesday with a bum ankle, well ahead of tonight's tip. It was something that LeBron himself foreshadowed at the All Star Game, noting that his treatment is ongoing and could keep him out. Could has become will. Does this mean he'll be available for Friday's game vs. San Antonio? We'll find out soon enough.

It's an injury the Lakers reportedly don't think is super serious, but hope the treatment will let James finish the season strong.

In the meantime, it should be a barnburner against a revitalized Warriors team that has turned things around, and certainly remembers how they lost an epic nationally televised battle with the Lakers only a couple weeks back. Even without James in the lineup, the Lakers do kick off the stretch run with reasons to be optimistic about their chances to make a little noise going forward. There are no guarantees, health will be paramount and so on and so on ... but look under the hood a little and you can see the Lakers have some stuff going for them.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers will be without LeBron as the 2nd half starts.

SEGMENT 2: Reasons for optimism? What do the Lakers have going for them right now?

SEGMENT 3: Reasons to worry?

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With no LeBron James, the Lakers were already set to paddle upstream against a resurgent Golden State Warriors that's looking to pass them in the standings. Combine that with an absolutely unconscious Steph Curry to open the game, early foul trouble for Anthony Davis, and a collectively cold shooting night from the supporting cast, and paddling upstream became the equivalent of trying to paddle across the entire Pacific Ocean using a golf club. A strong opening quarter and change from the Lakers was no match for the Warriors' ball movement, body movement, and strong work on the offensive glass. AD still managed to string together a strong night of 27 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, but received way too little help on either side of the ball and Darvin Ham waved the white flag with about five minutes left in the game.

Why the early folding of the tents? Because the Lakers have a game tonight at home vs. the Spurs that's now of exceptional importance. Hopefully, LeBron James will be in uniform (and if the Lakers are really lucky, Cam Reddish as well), but assuming everyone who played on Thursday suits up for this back-to-back, sending Victor Wembenyama and the gang home with a loss is a must. The Western Conference hasn't been cooperating with the Lakers all season, and Thursday was no exception. The Lakers aren't catching any breaks, which means they can't afford to mess up opportunities.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Despite a big night from Anthony Davis, the Lakers couldn't contain Steph and the Warriors.

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers really need to win this game against the Spurs.

SEGMENT 3: No. Seriously. They need to win.

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The last 24 hours have been consumed by questions about whether the Lakers effectively gave up on the season by standing pat at the trade deadline.

Well, in their first game following the deadline, the Lakers didn't look like a team that had packed it in. They put on an impressive offensive display and controlled their game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans throughout and won TK-TK. Balance among the starters was the big story. All of them had more than 20 points, led by D'Angelo Russell with 30. (Rui Hachimura bounced back from a terrible game on Thursday, scoring 21 points on 9-13 from the floor.) Critically, the Lakers didn't turn the ball over - only seven on the night, including just one in the first half.

The news wasn't all great, as Max Christie missed the game with an ankle injury suffered in the loss to Denver Thursday, and the team is waiting for results from an MRI.

Ultimately, though, it was a very positive night. The Lakers get a win heading into a three-day break before their next game (Tuesday vs. Detroit) and gain a game on New Orleans in the Western Conference standings.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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