Sixers-Lakers: Preview and Game Thread

Happy Covington Contract Day!

Believe it or not, Robert Covington gettin’ dat money is not the only Sixers-related event of the day. In fact, the Sixers also happen to be playing a road basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the best player in the world, Kyle Kuzma, and his savant sidekick, Lonzo Ball.

This will also be the first matchup between Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram since they were drafted first and second overall in the 2016 draft.

The Lakers have had a surprisingly strong start to the season, coming out of the gates at 6-8 despite their starting point guard’s historic struggles to score the ball. Jordan Clarkson has been scoring out of his mind, with a true shooting percentage over 60% while shouldering a usage rate of 30%, according to Cleaning the Glass. Julius Randle and Brook Lopez have also put up efficient numbers, while the Greatest Player in History, Kyle Kuzma, has, you know, been the Greatest Player in History. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has brought a much-needed dose of defense from the guard position, injecting tenacity that the team lacked for most of the last season.

The dirty little secret behind the Lakers’ hot start has been that their two franchise cornerstones, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, have been passengers more than they’ve actively helped so far. Again according to Cleaning the Glass, Ball is scoring in the zeroeth percentile for point guard efficiency, while Ingram is in the 19 th percentile for wings. It’s obviously too early to make definitive statements about their career trajectories, but their scoring woes stand in stark contrast to the Sixers’ two building blocks, who have been the engine behind their winning record.

I really want to win this one.

Project Starting Lineups:

Sixers:

G -Ben Simmons

G – JJ Redick

F - $$RoCo$$

F – Dario Saric

C – Joel Embiid

Lakers:

G - Lonzo Ball

G – KCP

F – Brandon Ingram

F – Kyle Kuzma

C - Brook Lopez