Lakers vs. Kings Preseason Preview: More steps forward

The Lakers will reach the halfway point of their preseason schedule on Wednesday when they meet the Kings in Anaheim on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. LeBron James won’t play in the contest — the second time through the opening three games he has sat — but the Lakers still have plenty of steps to continue to take.

Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell have both looked fantastic throughout the opening two games. The former has accepted, for now, the challenge of his head coach by putting up more outside shots and finding success in doing so. The latter has hit the ground running after his underwhelming preseason.

Austin Reaves joined the party on Monday against the Nets in his first action of the preseason. After playing with Team USA over the summer, Reaves looked close to mid-season form in his 20 minutes.

Much of the focus has been and will continue to be on the various role players around the stars. Taurean Prince looked solid in the starting lineup alongside the regular starters. Rui Hachimura had another strong outing off the bench as well. Has either inched ahead in the battle for the fifth starter spot and will it even matter if head coach Darvin Ham has indeed made his decision already?

Preseason games only carry so much weight, but the Lakers and Kings will also meet early in the season with this being their lone preseason match-up as well. Last season, the games were largely exciting even if the Lakers also went 1-3 against Sacramento.

Wednesday will provide an early look at a team that will be both a divisional and conference foe.

Injury notes and updates

• There is no official injury report in the preseason, but on top of LeBron James being out, the status of Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Cam Reddish (ankle) is also up in the air. Both played in the first game of the season before sitting out the second game.
• The Kings have played just one preseason game where all the usual suspects were available. Sacramento will have eight games between Wednesday and next Thursday.

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