The LA Lakers NBA season schedule starts up on Tuesday night and the game against the Houston Rockets marks the opener for Los Angeles for the 2014-15 season and has Kobe Bryant ready to come back as they host Dwight Howard and James Harden in the second game of a doubleheader starting up at 10:30 pm ET on TNT after the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks play.
The Lakers come into the season with some high expectations and they have the chance to bounce back with Kobe Bryant returning to the lineup after being injured. Jeremy Lin will be starting with Steve Nash out for the season and Byron Scott gets his first game of the season against the Rockets.
Check here for the LA Lakers NBA season schedule for the opener against the Rockets.
The Lakers come into the season knowing that they will not be top contenders, but if Byron Scott can play things the right way, this team could compete for a low playoff spot. Kobe Bryant was injured for most of last season and while he is much older now, he can still make an impact for the Lakers. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the franchise is looking at this season as a transition year and that next summer they will sign some major free agents.
The Lakers brought back a number of players they had hit the market, including Wes Johnson, Ryan Kelly and Xavier Henry as well as Nick Young, who led the team in scoring last season. Keeping those players gives the team depth and with Scott coming in, the team will have a new outlook and a new scheme and he expects them to play much better on defense as well. Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin were solid additions and Boozer came in off of an amnesty deal, while Lin was acquired in a trade with the Rockets.
Last season the Lakers won just 27 games and now they are getting Bryant back and they have Julius Randle coming in as a rookie. The Lakers ended up with a very solid pick and had the draft had been a year earlier with Randle coming out, he likely would have been a top three pick. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker pushed back Randle out of the top five and now the Lakers have a great young prospect to build around in the middle.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Nash is dealing with some back and leg pain and he could miss the the season after sitting out some preseason games. The Lakers are playing on opening night and they will be in action against the Houston Rockets and that game is on October 28 and is the late game after the Spurs and Mavericks open the season. The Lakers season may rest on whether Bryant and Nash can stay healthy, but adding Lin helps and the team also brought on Carlos Boozer to help with the loss of Pau Gasol.
