Podcast: How can Frank Vogel correct his Opening Night mistakes?

The good news for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into their game two matchup with the Phoenix Suns is that in some aspects, it can’t possibly get any worse. The focus after Opening Night was on Russell Westbrook — and rightfully so — but Frank Vogel seriously struggled to put players in positions to succeed.

That’s going to have to change, and so this week on “I Love Basketball,” Sabreena Merchant and I tried to figure out what it might look like.

It should also be pointed out before we get to where Vogel fell short that this roster is pretty flawed. Just my opinion here, but the least important player archetype in the NBA right now is the combo guard. They tend not to be switchable defensively and, more often than not, if they aren’t scoring, don’t offer much else.

The Lakers have three such players.

Again, just my opinion here, but wings are the most valuable type of role player in the NBA. They can switch defensively, and their shots tend to come from the most efficient spots on the floor.

The Lakers have no such healthy players.

If a 36-year-old Trevor Ariza getting hurt wrecks your rotation the way it has, that means your roster was poorly put together. Alright, rant over. Back to Vogel.

For starters, (no this isn’t about to be a DeAndre Jordan joke — that’s coming later), in no world should Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo should share in a basketball court on the same team. Ever. Please fix that.

Sabreena and I discuss all that, plus what a good Westbrook lineup looks like if LeBron James isn’t on the floor, how we think the Suns game is going to go and plenty more.

You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.