The Lakers were down Gabe Vincent, Jared Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish (in a mild and somewhat concerning surprise, given that he was in the lineup Wednesday in Detroit), Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura Thursday in Oklahoma City. There were on the second night of a back-to-back. They've played a bunch of games of late, with a schedule that has been pretty unrelenting.

So on the one hand, sure, they lost. Of course they did. And Anthony Davis showed up, no question. 31/14/2 with two steals. He hit 11-18 from the floor, and 9-10 from the line. He tried VERY hard to give the Lakers somewhere to go with the ball when the offense stalled, or there was a potential mismatch to exploit.

Unfortunately, the Lakers made too many mistakes and missed too many shots to take advantage, and give themselves a meaningful shot in the second half. To their credit, LA got out with energy and built up an early lead, often through Davis out hustling Oklahoma City's defense back down the court, and because the Thunder—the NBA's most prolific 3-point shooting team—were cold early.

When that changed, so did the nature of the Lakers' offense. The shots continued to miss. Important players did some things well, or had stretches of good play. But other members of the supporting cast, on a night where everything had to be on point or even elevated, didn't clear that bar.

So what does everyone think of the trip? Of the team? You can "on the one hand, on the other hand" this team to death. Will they achieve the vision everyone hoped to see, once the pieces (or more of them) are available? Are they actually going to have a stretch of good health? Because there are no guarantees.

All told, a quarter of the way through the season, the Lakers remain a very, very difficult team to evaluate, trying to determine the ultimate upside.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: A lopsided loss in OKC, but did the team actually play that poorly?

SEGMENT 2: Why was it so hard to get Davis the ball?

SEGMENT 3: Are Lakers fans waiting for improvement that will never come?

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

eBay Motors

For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

PrizePicks

Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime

Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel

Score early this NFL season with FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook! Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your team wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices