Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Is 28 Games Enough for Luka, Reaves and LeBron to Build Real Continuity?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Lakers Big Three have played 152 minutes together this season entirely. How can they play together enough to actually hit the team's ceiling? We'll tell you next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers. Your first listen to every day, Monday through Friday, sometimes on weekends,

Starting point is 00:00:34 even on holidays and now more than once a day, no matter how or where you get your podcast. This one's always going to be free. Never behind a paywall, whether it's Apple, whether it's Spotify. Maybe you're one of the 37,000 plus subscribers to the Lockdown Liquors YouTube page. No matter how you do it, you're part of making the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network, any known universe. I'm Brian Komeneski. That's Andy Kaminzki.

Starting point is 00:01:00 We have covered the team for nearly 20 years for the ESPN, for the LA Times, the athletic and this is always an interesting time of year Andy when you start you get through the all-star game you got the second half of the season which isn't really a half and it's it's the sprits lebron james talked about that in over the weekend uh that they've made it through the marathon now they're getting ready for the sprint and part of the problem with the the marathon andy has been that the lakers haven't had their big three together for virtually any of it. To put this in perspective, LeBron, Austin, and Luca, as you said, at the top of the show, have played just 152 minutes together this season, which is not a lot. Just how not a lot is that?

Starting point is 00:01:53 To put this in perspective, Drew Timmy, the Lakers' fourth string two-way center, has played 150 minutes. So basically, the big three has played essentially the same amount of minutes as a guy on a two-way contract that while he's had some moments at times during his opportunities looking useful and occasionally helpful, that's not a good sign of how the season has been built up so far. In a lot of ways, it is a credit to everybody involved for when they actually have been on hand that the Lakers have been. able to succeed at the level that they have. Because this has not been easy. It's worth noting that Drew Timmy hasn't been on the team the entire year either. Sure. I also want to let people, it's also worth noting.

Starting point is 00:02:45 Today's episode's brought to you by Fandul. Now use your profit boost on an NBA future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the NBA finals. Play your game with Fandul, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. You know, it's, LeBron also over the way. weekend talked about, you know, we'll get to his comments about his own future, which obviously got a lot of attention. But his comments about the Lakers were highly relevant. And, you know, he said the following, I know that we played our best basketball season. We look very good. On

Starting point is 00:03:19 the other side, when we've been terrible, we look disgusting, which is actually one of mom's favorite words to describe with the Lakers don't play well. It's disgusting. I think the most important thing is if we can get healthy, how many minutes we could be on the floor, how much chemistry we can build with the sprint starting. You would hope that you have that regular season to kind of build that cohesiveness and things of that nature. But I'm hoping that if we can get healthy, we can start to build that. I think this is really the key for me. When I think of where the Lakers can go, it's not so, it's obviously as high as you can get the ceiling to be is ideal. The Lakers really need to raise their floor. The problem for the Lakers is,

Starting point is 00:04:02 when they are bad. If they're, you know, they're, they're, they're terrible. Um, and you can't get through multiple playoff series with a floor as low as the

Starting point is 00:04:13 Lakers floor. Yeah. And they have not even had the opportunity to really get, get together and try to raise the floor of this proverbial house as much, as much as humanly possible. That's where, that's where I, my point is like,

Starting point is 00:04:28 that's where I think getting Reeves and, and Luca and LeBron on the floor together to get those minutes, it will raise the ceiling, but I think continuity-wise, it will hopefully help raise that floor. Yeah, I mean, it will help to raise the floor, not just to get those three guys more minutes together, because even if you count the time that they spent last year post-trade deadline, which had some interruptions,

Starting point is 00:04:54 but compared to what's been going on for this season, it's like that group had been together for five years, like comparatively, the amount of time. time that the Lakers have, the amount that those three have lost as a trio this season with more games compared to last season post trade deadline is pretty staggering. Like they played, I want to say in the, they played like 35 games together or something or 30 games post trade deadline. And I want to say about 700 minutes, something like that, maybe a little bit pre-trade deadline, then also post however you want to put it. That's like five to six times more than what

Starting point is 00:05:37 they've done this year in more possible games. So the Lakers are any way you slice it behind the eight ball for raising that floor. And on top of it, as LeBron pointed out, and I think he is correct, the group last year that had more minutes together also included a roster with Dorian Finney Smith, who was a big part of the rotation, is no longer here. Jackson Hayes in a more elevated role than he has now. Gabe Vincent in the rotation, no longer here. DeAndre Aiton, New Guy. Marcus Smart, new guy.

Starting point is 00:06:11 Jake Laravia, new guy. Jared Vanderbilt, getting more minutes and seemingly more trust from JJ Redick than he had last season. Like, there's a lot that is different this year that when the season began felt exciting because given the parameters, with which Rob Polinka chose to attack this season, whether you agree with the approach, don't agree with the approach. I think it's hard to argue that he managed to make a decent amount of changes within, you know, not giving up any assets within limited cap space. And the Lakers have not really been able to get that group together into a cohesive unit because of all the injuries and absences. And that affects raising the floor, A, because you lose those reps,

Starting point is 00:06:57 but B, because the Laker weaknesses on this team at this point are extremely well established. The rest of the league has figured out which ones to exploit and how. And for the Lakers to try to find the best ways possible to offset that, which is another part of raising your floor, they need the time together and they just haven't yet it. Ultimately, though, all that's true. Vanderbilt's in there. They've got Luke Kinnard, who is playing a bigger role. Yeah, I forgot about Luke Kinnard.

Starting point is 00:07:31 We'll talk about him over the course of the week because it seems pretty clear that JJ is a big fan of what Kinnard brings to their team. For a team that has been sort of ridiculed, is probably the wrong word, but criticize as too offensively oriented and all that stuff, they haven't actually been all that good, all that consistently on offense.

Starting point is 00:07:58 And I think Redd clearly believes that Karnard is somebody who can help improve that and make the overall make team better on both sides of the ball. All of that's true. But fundamentally, it is organizing and maximizing what they can do with their three best players. The other parts, I think, are important for truly hitting your ceiling. getting those rotations just spot perfect and understanding exactly which combinations work against exactly what type of opponent and all this other stuff,

Starting point is 00:08:36 they are not going to get there. Just not. That is not going to have. There are not enough games. They'll get closer, hopefully, but that maximum, can they hit their ideals? No, they cannot. Their ability to...

Starting point is 00:08:52 Or maybe they can, and that's actually the problem. Well, if it's not very common. You have to allow for that possibility. If they are not very good, sure. But like if you're assuming that there is upside, then they will not have enough time to likely hit what you would, you know, ideally would like to be. And even, you know, there are very few situations where more reps hurt.

Starting point is 00:09:18 So, you know, I, to me it seems like you're pretty reasonable to think they could get better with more time. But ultimately it is how you organize and how those three guys play together. How you figure out their own core chemistry because they're going to start games and finish games. How you figure out then who are the two best guys put next to them in which situation? And, you know, how often do you play them all three together, I think is a big one. It's just they are the minutes dominating, the three guys who are guaranteed to dominate. minutes on your team. And so that being the case, how you maximize those three, that's the,

Starting point is 00:10:01 that's the thing they can probably figure out fastest. And then, you know, the other guys, knock on wood, you catch up. Yeah, I mean, hopefully they're just, there's enough time to figure out as a trio, you know, the, the returns have not been great in terms of, I think, both the eye test and if you look at a lot of the advanced numbers, hopefully Austin's presence because I think Austin has a track record of working well with LeBron and the numbers with him and Luca have often been pretty good. Again, not a big enough sample size to make you feel as confident about as you could or to have utilized as many possibilities as you'd want.

Starting point is 00:10:44 But I think Austin being available with hopefully Luca moving forward, LeBron moving forward on a regular basis can play a pretty important role in bridging that. And also, too, one of the theoretical upsides to having three guys of this importance is if they all matter that much, there can be times where you just have two of them, two of them at the same time. And if you find the right combinations with twosomes, maybe it can help streamline the process where you don't have to figure out the larger puzzle of all three of them together for maximum minutes just because there really may not be enough time to do that.

Starting point is 00:11:25 There's one aspect of this, too, that we need to acknowledge here in terms of both navigating through the rest of the season and what that looks like potentially in the playoffs. And I'll explain what that is next. Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Indeed. Hiring's not just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's actually about finding the right person with a right background who can help your business move forward. And if you want candidates who can match what you're looking for, indeed sponsored job,

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Starting point is 00:12:38 That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring, do it the right way with Indeed. Locked on Lakers also brought to you by TurboTax. Tax season doesn't have to take over your life. This season, this year, this tax season, we'll call it, TurboTax is making it easier than ever, just to hand things off and move on with your day. With TurboTax full service, you can have your taxes done for you by a trusted local expert start to finish without the stress or the guesswork.

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Starting point is 00:13:30 for just $150 all in if a TurboTax expert didn't file for you last year. So just file by February 28th. Take taxes off your plate and get back to your life. Visit turbotax.com slash local to book your appointment today. to me, Andy, one of the other really interesting things about this configuration of the big three and how it works is on a night-to-night basis, in any individual quarter, any individual game, I do think this can change. But on a night-to-night basis, when both guys are off-minute's restrictions and able to play, you need to be able to depend. I think the team will logically depend on Reeves more than LeBron to quote unquote carry them when carrying is needed. You know, Luca is obviously the head of all this.

Starting point is 00:14:31 He is the catalyst for their offense. He is, you know, playing an MVP level. He's, you know, top three and everything like that, you know, in terms of production and all that stuff. When you get Padilly, the next guy in line needs to be Reeves. and I think what you want to open yourself up to is then the opportunity for LeBron to pick his spots, to be LeBron, to have those six or seven minutes stretches

Starting point is 00:15:00 where we've seen over the course of the season that he can just still do extraordinary things and maximize the potential for those things to come in the playoffs when, it should be noted, Austin might need a, that's when Austin might need a little more support, whether because the games get physical, because the referees aren't calling quite as much,

Starting point is 00:15:22 for whatever the reason might be. That, Luca's going to Luca, that dynamic between how things shift night to night with LeBron and Austin to me is something to watch for in a big way. I mean, I think it needs to be, there will be some degree of shifting just because games all have their own personalities and their own contexts and the way things play out.

Starting point is 00:15:46 But for the most part, I think there needs to be less game-to-game shifting more. This is what Austin does. He is capable of carrying a larger role on a regular basis. This is established than LeBron. The more you have to rely on LeBron at this stage of his career, A, I don't think that's a formula for success just because we've seen. It's a lot for LeBron at 41 with this type of mileage to need to summon stuff at will during the periods where he may not be feeling it. Like, LeBron used to be able to just do this stuff whenever he wanted because he was truly that great.

Starting point is 00:16:30 He's still capable of playing in spurts at a really high level. We saw with the proper support against the Mavericks, he was able to really lead the Lakers against. against a team that's not particularly good, but his performance was, I think, by any objective measure, very good. But he's not the one to be expected to do this. This has to fall in Austin Reeves. And beyond the impact, if it doesn't happen, that it's going to have on the playoffs,

Starting point is 00:16:58 I think it also actually plays, it needs to start playing a role in how the Lakers approach the offseason. Because then you're talking about a couple playoffs in a row where Austin does not seem to be able to rise to a level that you need him to. And then you have to start questioning, is he good enough to be the player that the Lakers seem to have slotted him at and as and seemed to be planning around alongside Luca? And if the answer is no, that doesn't mean Austin can't be part of a future with Luca,

Starting point is 00:17:32 but it means there needs to be somebody else or somebody else. You need to figure out which, what kind of piece fixes that. Right. If Austin can't do the things that you're talking about, to me, that is far more of an Austin thing than a, what else can you expect from LeBron thing? Oh, for sure. And like, that's that, Andy, this is a two timelines question that you're bringing up here. Two timelines between February and April. They're short.

Starting point is 00:18:05 Or June, June. Let's say February. through June. Yeah, that's true April. I mean, dang, man. I was talking to the end of the regular season. Let's have some confidence. That's what I meant till the end of the regular season,

Starting point is 00:18:16 because we were talking about the original 28 games. Right, no, for sure. Framing this. But you're right. I mean, like, the, the, the, we'll talk about this maybe in the next segment, but like the, the Lakers, it seems, increasingly have a less of a, what do we do with LeBron problem? because when you start to look at a lot of the reporting and a lot of the tone that things are

Starting point is 00:18:41 taking on and all these other things, it seems like LeBron will be playing somewhere else next year if he's playing at all, at least if everybody can make things happen in the way that they would like. So at the very least, they're no longer, it's not like a, how do we maximize LeBron and send him out the right way. It's just, what can they do to me? make this team the best that it can possibly be. And I 100% agree with you. They have a real, this is a real important stretch of 28 games and into the playoffs for Austin. Because like you said, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, if it's, a all star in the playoffs, then he, the very

Starting point is 00:19:26 least they need to figure out who, who, what third player is the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the connective tissue that unlocks Austin that allows Luca to be Luca and helps this team get where it needs to go. Because I think ultimately, unless they can trade him, Reeves is going to come back because you don't have the opportunity to replace him with something more ideal. If let's say that happened, okay, maybe you make that trade. That's probably not going to be an option. And so I think that that's, I 100% agree with what you're saying. Like that's the long term question with Austin. The short term question is, what do you do with this roster?

Starting point is 00:20:16 And I am, I'm looking forward to seeing how they, you know, do they lean on Vanderbilt a little bit more in there like Vanderbilt and smart sometimes if you have both of those guys, all three of those guys on the four, you got plenty of ball handling, plenty of playmates. You know, smart doesn't kill you in that area either. You know, can you support a Jared Vanderbilt and go smaller? Like, what kinds of lineups are they really going to go to? How much confidence do you have in your centers? Where does a guy like Luke Knard fit in? They have all these little questions to kind of fill around it if they can figure out what to do with the big three.

Starting point is 00:20:59 And also, too, just the continuity. And they need the big three to play out. as many of these 28 remaining games as possible, but they also need the cast around them to play out. You know, there are questions about the Andre Aiton's availability for Friday as well. Last, you saw he was still dealing with that lingering soreness, cost him three of the last four regular season games before, or three of the four remaining games before the All-Star game, and then I believe he's lost five games in 2026 to that knee. Like, they need everybody for the next 28 games because in order to,

Starting point is 00:21:34 not just get the ceiling, reach the ceiling they want, but just raise the floor. That requires execution. And they're not going to get the execution without continuity. This group is going to have to be for as many of 48 minutes as possible, the best sum of their parts and the most mistake free as they can be for 48 minutes. Because the weaknesses that they have, athleticism, defense, speed, like these are things they can't really. change internally. They have to try to find the workarounds,

Starting point is 00:22:08 and those workarounds are going to come through execution. There's no other way. What did exactly LeBron talk about over the weekend, and how does it impact his future with the Lakers? We'll get into it next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by Fandul. The winner games are officially here, and if you're anything like us,

Starting point is 00:22:28 you are locking in for events you can only see on the big stage every four years. And that's why following the winter games on Fandul, just makes sense from metal counts to individual events to finding your angle on the sports that you care about most. FanDuel gives you more ways to stay connected to the action. Like all of a sudden, curling is going to contain real intensity and excitement. Even if you don't understand what it is you're watching, you know you just got involved with FanDuel and curling, and that locks you into the competition.

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Starting point is 00:23:27 That's something that Andy and I will be participating in. You can also connect with other hosts on other shows. You get access to all of that. As part of the Everydayer Club, you also get the show ad-free, which is something I know a lot of you would be interested in because we get your emails. And it's $5 a month, $50 a year. You go to Lockedonlakers.supercast.com, make it happen. You can check out the show notes to learn more about it.

Starting point is 00:23:53 If it's not for you, do nothing. It's okay. The show will not change for you in the slightest, and we will love you just the same. So, yeah, Everyday Club. I am, you know, know, LeBron didn't answer questions about his future over the weekend. And it's, well, he did answer questions. He said he doesn't know.

Starting point is 00:24:22 Right. I'm saying, like, he didn't, let me, okay. I want to make sure people understand he was, he took questions. No, that's fair. No, you're right. He didn't provide insights beyond. Wanting to live. He wants to live.

Starting point is 00:24:35 I mean, honestly, I'm not joking. No, that was just quote. That was, that was. An exact quote from LeBron. Yeah, I mean, I want to live. You know, when you guys, when I know as far as, you know, what's coming next, you know, retirement, playing another season with who, whatever. When I know, you guys will know.

Starting point is 00:24:55 I don't know. I have no idea. I just want to live. That's all. So the one thing that was established, LeBron, just, you know, J.KL, like Matthew McConaughey would say, just keep living. I am happy to see that LeBron feels the same way as fellow old people. like us. I just want to wake up tomorrow. You know, that's it. Happy. What I find fascinating.

Starting point is 00:25:19 Sciatica really puts things in perspective. It does. Siatica and right foot arthritis, really, it makes you take stock in ways that you're one step closer to the grave. If you could take that step, but you can't because it hurts too much. Yeah. The whole thing to me, What I find interesting about it is not so much what it means with this future at the Lakers. You tell me if you agree. I think to me it feels like, and I know I think I know how you feel that unless they can't find something better, both teams would. Both sides. Both sides.

Starting point is 00:25:59 Both teams, Team LeBron and team Lakers would prefer this be the final season with LeBron here. I think it's pretty clear. Yeah. I don't think there's a ton of animosity. I just don't think it's clear. I think it's pretty clear that they, it's a better, if he moves on.

Starting point is 00:26:15 As I've said many times, the relationship has mutually run its course. I would agree. The part about this, though, there's two sections. There's a, a sort of roar shock test of how you feel about LeBron in that,

Starting point is 00:26:33 like there are people who just simply do not believe that LeBron James would, leave the league without a farewell tour. He's just too narcissistic to not have that kind of attention showered upon him for a year in his final season. There are a lot of people who believe that. The flip side of that question, Andy, is if he comes back and if there is a farewell tour, that to me is a huge,

Starting point is 00:27:09 huge reason to why the Lakers would not want him in L.A. Because you cannot continue the transformation of this group into a Luca Donchich team while 40 arenas that it goes into, plus like the countdown, every day is about LeBron. And you just can't, like it does not work to have a farewell tour while you're trying to create this Luca culture.

Starting point is 00:27:41 And so that's the part of it beyond the Roershock test of LeBron that I find really interesting is this idea of a farewell tour of the Lakers do not fit. It's certainly not a natural fit for next season, but in all honesty, whether you think in a perfect world, LeBron would want a farewell tour,

Starting point is 00:28:02 wouldn't care about a farewell tour, and for what it's worth, I would not judge LeBron if he wanted to fit, I think he's earned a farewell tour and I think he enjoys the spotlight. And as long as you don't do anything destructive with the spotlight, I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying the spotlight. When we decide to hang it up on this podcast, I fully intend to have a farewell tour. We've been out of a while.

Starting point is 00:28:23 Yeah, absolutely. I believe we've earned it as well. I want my rocking chair like Green got. You know what? If we keep doing this show for much longer, we may both be using rocking chair. shares, whether they are given to us as gifts from adoring fans and factions or if we just have to go buy them. Exactly.

Starting point is 00:28:46 Exactly. But like whether you think LeBron would want it, wouldn't want it, whatever, A, it's not particularly congruent or natural to any team that is looking to do a serious championship run. because, I mean, you and I have covered a few championship runs up close in our time covering the Lakers. It is a very laser-focused, fairly serious environment where nobody wants distractions of any kind. Like you and I covered, for example, the season where Ron Arte's, his first one with the Lakers 2010, when they repeated with Kobe and Powell, Ron was hyper, hyper-conscious. of the narrative that if the Lakers did not repeat that season,

Starting point is 00:29:38 because it was quite literally the same team other than no Sunu-A and run our test in for Trevor or reason. Like other than that, it was quite literally the exact same team. And no disrespect to the Chinese Master Johnson. Right. But he didn't necessarily impact the winning or the losing in a tangible way. But Ron was, I mean, he was open about this. He knew that...

Starting point is 00:30:06 No, that's a student you A to kick around anymore. No, they did not. He got a ring, though. That's all that matters. He did get a ring. But like, he was hyper conscious and hyper aware that all eyes were on him. And I say all that just to reinforce the idea that nobody wants to be seen as a distraction when you're looking to do something that is very serious and very difficult to do.

Starting point is 00:30:33 titles are difficult to win. And I don't think a team is necessarily going to appreciate that as they're trying to stay locked in as possible. But also, I think LeBron would be conscious enough to realize, and for the cynics out there who believe that LeBron, everything is image, everything is calculated, well, then this would track. LeBron would recognize it's not a good look for me. If I look like I am sucking up all the oxygen during this season where my, you know,

Starting point is 00:31:03 my teammates are trying to win a championship. So that combined with the fact that LeBron has already acknowledged, I don't know if I could even, or I don't know if he acknowledged this. I don't know if he acknowledges openly, but it had been reported that LeBron's camp has recognized at this stage of his career, you know, when something like sciatica can cost you 14 games,

Starting point is 00:31:25 it's difficult to really plan a tour in, right? There's a lot of pressure that comes about, like feeling like you have to be. able to be available for all of these games and, you know, can't do it. Right. So I think wherever LeBron, you know, like Kobe's farewell tour, that season had no stakes other than getting Kobe through it so he could play the final game and nothing else took any type of precedent, including developing the young players on that roster.

Starting point is 00:31:58 Like, I mean, they, that took a backseat to getting Kobe through that season. That's correct. You can do that when I believe they won like 17 games or 20 games that season. And you know, like Kareem's rocking chair tour, that was on a, that was on, I mean, it was a different time in all honesty. Like I don't think, I don't think a retirement tour sucked up the oxygen in like 1989, the way it would in 2007. It's just different.

Starting point is 00:32:29 It's different. And it's also, too, there's, there's the, thinking about it. It's like next year is not a gap year for the Lakers. It's a really important one for establishing to Luca as he heads into his extension that has an opt-out that this team is on a trajectory that he wants. And, you know, I don't think he has to win a title this year. I think he's demanding they win a title next year. But like if there's not meaningful progress towards those goals, I don't think you can take for granted the idea that he'll, you know, sign that next contract here. Like, they have to show some progress because Luca is, you know, he's 27 now,

Starting point is 00:33:15 correct? 26, 27. And, and, but he's played a lot of basketball. Been professional since he was a teenager. And so, like, I don't know if he, in his own mind, he just turned 26. He's just turned 26. Thank you. entering his year 27th season. Yes. Like I don't know if he looks at this as like, oh, I'll be able to do this until I'm 33, 34, 35. You know, we got lots of time. I don't know if he looks at it that way. You know, he puts pressure on organizations in different ways than LeBron did.

Starting point is 00:33:49 But he put pressure on the Mavericks. Yeah. It's not like he didn't. So, you know, the Lakers, you know, they have to, they have to enter next year in a, looking like they're really building around Luke. And I just, like I said, I think it's really hard to do that with that farewell tour. I mean, I don't think there's anything. This is why I actually take LeBron at his word when he says, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:34:14 I mean, I think if he did truly know, he wouldn't say anything because now is not the time to create those type of headlines, no matter what the decision is, pun unintended. But I actually believe LeBron and take him at face value that he doesn't know the answers yet. I don't think it would be possible for him to know. Yeah, I agree. All the complications that come at this stage of his career, there's no way for him to predict how his body's going to feel in March, much less June or July and physically, mentally, is he really going to feel like he's up for doing this again?

Starting point is 00:34:51 Because it's a hell of a lot of work at his age with that mileage to maintain this level of play. And that's before you even take into account. There is no way to truly predict what teams will have the available, you know, the available cap space or the roster configuration to even offer him a contract that he would find feasible. And then it starts getting to what's my role on that team? Like, will all of this feel worth? So much of this gets due.

Starting point is 00:35:20 So I believe it. The money. I 100% believe him. There's just stuff that you don't, nobody can know yet. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is we're going to go hang out with over 37,000. and subscribers. Oh, Luca, by the way, I apologize. Luca turns February 28th is, he turns 27. I for some reason thought that we were at the end of February, not the beginning of

Starting point is 00:35:41 February. This is why you can't have All-Star breaks. Everything falls apart. He turns 27 at the end of February. I'll leave all the fact declaring to you. Yeah. Well, I, you're on the hook for all this stuff. You know what it was? I was remembering that they had celebrated Lucas' birthday as a Laker. I thought they did it more recently. It turns out they did it like last year this time. That is exactly how Bird Bay's work. They're the anniversary of the last time you celebrated one.

Starting point is 00:36:09 I often forget how old I am. I can keep track of the ages of my children. And after that, that's about it. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you're going to hang out with over 37,000 subscribers to the channel. We, of course, will be getting you ready for the start of the stretch run here over the course of the week. Liggers don't play until Friday.

Starting point is 00:36:26 We'll see everyone's, uh, tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Is 28 Games Enough for Luka, Reaves and LeBron to Build Real Continuity?

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