The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

MY Los Angeles Lakers are trying to establish an identity. But that’s something head coach Luke Walton and his rookie point guard Lonzo Ball are trying to build with such a young team.

GROWING PAINS

The Lakers (with a 2-4 record) have to be consistent at getting out into transition.

“We are trying to find our identity still,” Ball told Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet.

“We are trying to run, but some of the possessions we’re getting caught in half-court and we are just standing – just comes with practice.”

“I definitely can improve a lot,” Ball added. “I had nine points and four assists, something like that, it’s not enough, we’re not going to win like that. I gotta come out more aggressive and get my teammates more involved.”

PATIENCE

While the Lakers are trying to find themselves, fans will have to be patient until the train really starts rolling.

It’s a long season; we just got started,” Ball said.

“As long as our defence gets better, that’s the priority right now; as long as that’s doing good, we’re not worried about offence right now; that’ll come.”

What became obvious, in the team’s latest loss, is that the team’s biggest problem stems from its inefficiency on the offensive end. As evidenced by an offence that shot a putrid 38.3 per cent from the field and sunk just 5-of-22 shots from behind the arc against the Utah Jazz in their last game.

Laker players are missing shots, but from Walton’s perspective, there’s a bigger problem, not just with the way they move the ball, but with how fast they move the ball. “In my opinion, we still need to play at a faster pace,” Walton told The Orange County Register’s Bill Oram. “We’re better when we’re out in transition and we’re not bogged down against a half-court defence. Because we’re playing so many young guys ... we’ve got to get out, let them make plays, where they can use some of their skills, some of their youth to their advantage.”

So be patient Laker nation, there’s light and lots more wins at the end of the tunnel.

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net