Reaves had nine assists, tying Doncic for the team lead, but had five turnovers as the Lakers turned the ball over 19 times. Some of the miscues were “just dumb,” Reaves said. Others could just be early-season growing pains.
“It wasn’t the wrong read. It was the wrong pass at the right time, basically,” Reaves said. “So it’s just like learning those little things, and you learn those on the fly. You think about all the good teams in NBA history, all those teams kind of played together as a core for a long time, and know how to play alongside one another.”
The Lakers happened to be matched up against one of those cohesive teams. The Warriors have revolved around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, Ayton just signed with the Lakers this summer. The pick-and-roll chemistry between the Lakers guards and the new center was slow to develop during the preseason, especially because Doncic did not get a full training camp as he returned from a busy summer with the Slovenian national team.
On Tuesday, Ayton called himself a “confusing big.” He mused about how his tendency to linger around the free-throw line can cause problems for guards. There were times in the game he could have finished his roll better, he said.
Doncic said he hasn’t played with a big who prefers the pocket pass the way Ayton does. He previously thrived with high-flying centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Ayton had 10 points on five-of-seven shooting with six rebounds, but Doncic said he wanted to get the 7-footer more touches.
“That’s on me today,” said Doncic, who had three turnovers to his nine assists that left him one short of a triple-double.