Jovan Buha, Lakers reporter for The Athletic, covers the purple and gold with a twice-weekly podcast, including news, analysis and exclusive interviews with players, coaches, team personnel, media and more.
Jovan Buha answers all of your Los Angeles Lakers questions in his latest mailbag.
Jovan analyzes Austin Reaves' new role in the preseason and if he can average 20-plus points per game this season, LA's biggest roster aside from a center, the realistic peak for Rui Hachimura with the Lakers and in a different situation, if Reaves and D'Angelo Russell can play together, how to solve the backcourt limitations with AR and DLo, Dalton Knecht's slow start, and which Lakers players could be on the roster five years from now.
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0:00 Intro
2:08 Question No. 1: Can Austin Reaves average 20+ ppg this season?
8:44 Question No. 2: What's LA's biggest roster need aside from a big?
15:39 Question No. 3: What's the realistic ceiling for Rui Hachimura?
23:20 Question No. 4: Can LA feasibly play Austin and DLo together?
30:41 Question No. 5: Why has AR's efficiency dipped in the preseason?
33:05 Question No. 6: How long will it take Dalton Knecht to become effective?
37:31 Question No. 7: Which Lakers players are on the roster in five years?
42:55 Outro
Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 111-97 loss to the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
Jovan covers where and when things went wrong, the Lakers’ nine-man rotation and substitution pattern, how Golden State exposed some of LA’s flaws and limitations, Anthony Davis’ play and offensive role, and more.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
11:35 Takeaway No. 1: The outline of the nine-man rotation
20:53 Takeaway No. 2: Golden State exploits some of LA’s flaws
30:44 Takeaway No. 3: Anthony Davis was incredible -- and involved
34:55 Outro
Jovan Buha answers all of your Los Angeles Lakers questions in his latest mailbag.
Jovan analyzes the Lakers’ preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks, including the fourth-quarter comeback led by Exhibit 10 guard Quincy Olivari. Then he covers how LA can clear a roster spot, which two-way guys could be called up during the season, Max Christie’s fit with the starts, the center search, the backstory of the “Buhaaaa” intro, why winning in the preseason matters and more.
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0:00 Intro
8:49 Lakers-Bucks takeaway No. 1: LA exacts revenge
13:39 Lakers-Bucks takeaway No. 2: Max Christie with the starters
16:38 Lakers-Bucks takeaway No. 3: Quincy Olivari
23:30 Question No. 1: Max’s fit with the starters?
25:14 Question No. 2: How can LA clear a roster spot?
28:58 Question No. 3: Which two-way guys could be called up?
34:31 Question No. 4: What’s the latest on the center search?
41:48 Question No. 5: Story behind “Buhaaaa” intro?
44:10 Question No. 6: Threshold to trade Dalton or Max?
47:31 Question No. 7: How much does winning matter in the preseason?
52:50 Outro
Jovan Buha dissects what we learned at Los Angeles Lakers practice on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Jovan analyzes JJ Redick's goal to shoot more 3-pointers, realistic expectations, the benefits of playing Anthony Davis more at power forward, limbo rate and LA's transition defense.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:35 Takeaway No. 1: More 3s — but within reason
4:09 Takeaway No. 2: More AD at power forward
9:02 Takeaway No. 3: Limbo rate & transition defense
13:22 Recap
14:20 Outro
Jovan Buha welcomes Sean Davis of the Sports Headlines Show and the Los Angeles Lakers Network to analyze the Lakers’ first two preseason games.
Jovan and Sean discuss their biggest offensive and defensive takeaways, the rotation, the player they’ve been most impressed with, their biggest concerns and what they’re most excited about for the rest of the preseason.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:23 Sean’s biggest offensive takeaways
3:54 Jovan’s biggest offensive takeaways
10:46 Sean’s biggest defensive takeaways
12:17 Jovan’s biggest defensive takeaways
16:38 Sean’s biggest rotation takeaways
18:52 Jovan’s biggest rotation takeaways
22:50 Sean’s player he’s most impressed with
26:30 Jovan’s player he’s most impressed with
30:31 Sean’s biggest concerns
32:39 Jovan’s biggest concerns
38:48 What Sean’s most excited for the rest of the preseason
41:24 What Jovan’s most excited for the rest of the preseason
43:31 Outro
Jovan Buha reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers' 118-114 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. on Oct. 6, 2024.
Jovan covers LeBron James and Bronny James making history as the NBA's first father-son duo, LeBron and Anthony Davis performing like top-10 players, and the Lakers' rotation shaping up as expected. He then answers questions about the rotation, the new offensive scheme, why LA is prioritizing four-out concepts, Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and more.
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0:00 Intro
10:43 Takeaway No. 1: LeBron & Bronny make history
18:30 Takeaway No. 2: LeBron & AD were in regular-season form
25:46 Takeaway No. 3: Rotation begins to crystallize
33:09 Q&A
55:13 Outro
#lakers #losangeleslakers #phoenixsuns
Jovan Buha shares three observations from the third and final day of Los Angeles Lakers training camp.
From JJ Redick's sky-high approval rating with Lakers players to his incorporation of analytics to the potential flexibility of the nine-man rotation, Jovan analyzes the Lakers ahead of their first preseason game.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:31 Camp takeaway No. 1
7:29 Camp takeaway No. 2
13:36 Camp takeaway No. 3
21:48 Outro
Jovan Buha shares three observations from the first day of training camp for the Los Angeles Lakers.
From the vibes around the group being at an all-time high to an important team meeting the Lakers had after media day to JJ Redick's projected nine-man rotation, Jovan analyzes everything we learned from the first practice.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:28 Media day takeaways
6:10 Training camp takeaway No. 1
12:07 Training camp takeaway No. 2
16:41 Training camp takeaway No. 3
23:13 Outro
Jovan Buha welcomes Pete Zayas (aka Laker Film Room) to preview the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024-25 season and answer the big questions facing the team.
Will the Lakers trade their picks and go all-in with this group? How will the offensive hierarchy change? What will head coach JJ Redick prioritize defensively? Can Max Christie or Dalton Knecht outperform expectations? Where will the Lakers finish in the West standings? What are Pete and Jovan's bold predictions?
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:41 JJ & Rob press conference
3:35 Pete’s offensive question: Bench scoring?
5:28 Jovan’s offensive question: New offensive hierarchy?
11:06 Pete’s defensive question: Defensive priorities under JJ?
13:18 Jovan’s defensive question: Survival without AD?
17:15 Pete’s X factor: Dalton Knecht
18:59 Jovan’s X factor: Max Christie
21:30 Pete’s biggest JJ question: Defensive system?
25:06 Jovan’s biggest JJ question: How does he problem-solve?
30:30 Pete’s biggest Rob question: Is LA gonna go for it?
34:05 Pros and cons of waiting until the trade deadline
41:56 Jovan’s biggest Rob question: Is LA gonna trade their pick(s)?
43:28 Pete’s ranking/seeding/record for the Lakers
45:00 Jovan’s ranking/seeding/record for the Lakers
47:41 Pete’s bold prediction
48:24 Jovan’s bold prediction
50:08 Listen and subscribe to LFR!
51:15 Outro
Jovan Buha reacts to the season-opening news conference of Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick.
Jovan covers the team's health updates entering training camp, Pelinka's stance on trading the team's 2029 and 2031 first-round picks, the roles for Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell and Max Christie, Redick's offensive and defensive systems, transparency, and more.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:51 Takeaway No. 1: Health updates
5:49 Takeaway No. 2: More clarity on the trade front
11:08 Takeaway No. 3: Player roles crystallizing
18:03 Takeaway No. 4: JJ’s offensive and defensive systems
22:20 Takeaway No. 5: Transparency with strategy
27:25 Outro
Jovan Buha examines five Los Angeles Lakers lineups he’d like to see next season.
From copying the 2020 championship model to previewing the trade deadline to designing bench configurations around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Jovan breaks down five realistic units that new head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff should test.
Also, after three weeks off, Jovan covers his wedding and honeymoon at the end of the episode.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:58 General lineup strategy and parameters
6:16 Lineup No. 1: The 2020 blueprint lineup
11:35 Lineup No 2: The trade preview lineup
15:48 Lineup No. 3: LeBron-led bench lineup
19:22 Lineup No. 4: AD-led bench lineup
21:48 Lineup No. 5: Non-LeBron/AD lineup (aka Doomsday)
24:35 Let me know your lineup ideas!
25:29 Wedding & honeymoon recap
29:15 Outro
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