Three Things to Know: Preseason Game 5

The Lakers are back in action for their fifth preseason game of the exhibition season when they do battle against the Bucks on Sunday. The game tips at 4:00pm PT on Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN.

Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup:

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
While preseason stats can be noisy and should be dug into with the appropriate context, sometimes the numbers and eye-test are so dramatic that the takeaways can be more lasting.

Such is the case with the Lakers' offensive production, particularly when they have been playing their main rotation players together and, in particular, when the core members of their projected starting group are on the floor. In the Lakers last three preseason games vs. the Nets, Kings, and Warriors, these core lineups have posted 70-point 1st halves vs. the Nets and Warriors, and a 40-point 3rd quarter vs. the Kings.

Beyond those ballooned point totals, below is the team's offensive rating when different Lakers rotation players are on the floor:

• Anthony Davis: 127.1 (3 games)
• Austin Reaves: 124.8 (2 games)
• D'Angelo Russell: 123.8 (4 games)
• Taurean Prince: 119.2 (4 games)
• Rui Hachimura: 115.3 (4 games)

The numbers from Davis, Reaves, Russell, and Prince are particularly insightful because in two of three games in which AD played, Prince was a member of the starting group, and those four would have been on the floor together for extended stretches.

And while it should not be expected that the team will continue to have this sort of extreme output during the regular season, this level of scoring should not be dismissed only as a product of the preseason, either. The Lakers have improved their three-point shooting and, with that, their increased spacing is opening up angles for drives and paint attacks as defenders stay more attached to their perimeter matchups.

And if the defense is put into position where their choices are leaving quality shooters open or protecting the paint against Anthony Davis or LeBron James attacks off the dribble or out of the post, the Lakers scoring well won't only be limited to exhibition games.

PRINCE OF THREES
In the lead up to training camp, Taurean Prince confidently asserted that he would definitely shoot 40% from behind the arc this season for the Lakers even though his career average from distance is 37.2% over his seven NBA seasons.

That sort of belief in himself, however, seems totally reasonable based on how he has shot the ball for the Lakers to this point in the preseason. Through four exhibition games, Prince has knocked down 50% of attempts from downtown (9-18) on 4.5 attempts per contest.

Prince is proving to be the type of off-ball player who can thrive in this offense, providing spacing and shot making from every area around the arc both as a release valve and deliverer of daggers as the defense scrambles to catchup to the ball within the team's spacing principles.

As the sample size increases and the team transitions to playing regular season games, Prince's percentages will surely dip from making half his deep attempts as he has so far this preseason. That said, if he continues to get the types of open looks this offense can produce for him, his prediction of making (at least) 40% of them seems more than justified.

BUCKS BIG CHANGES
After losing in the first round to the eventual Finals-bound Miami Heat, the Bucks determined to make a multitude of changes to ensure those results would not be replicated this upcoming season.

Gone is longtime and championship winning coach Mike Budenholzer, and in is Adrian Griffin who gets his first crack at a head coaching job after a long career as an assistant for multiple franchises, including spending the last five seasons on Nick Nurse's staff in Toronto with the Raptors.

And then, in a move that shook up the NBA, the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen. Lillard, long one of the NBA's best shooting point guards, a multiple time All-Star, and member of the league's 75th anniversary team slots next to Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the more potent two-man combos in the league.

Both are expected to make their preseason debut for the Bucks in today's game against the Lakers, offering us the first glimpse of the duo Milwaukee hopes will take them back to the top of the conference and help them avoid their earlier-than-expected playoff ousters after claiming the 2021 championship.