The Lakers took care of business Sunday night, besting the Charlotte Hornets 120-101 at home to improve to 2-1 on the young season. The Lakers will play Memphis tonight at Staples Center before traveling to Dallas for a Friday night battle with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

Through the first week of the season, the Lakers are largely what we expected them to be: a team with plenty of size playing at a much slower pace, but defends much better than any Laker team previous (especially in the paint), and actually has three point shooters capable of cashing in wide open looks.

We knew LeBron and AD would carry most of the load offensively, but it would be the improved depth of the roster that would make the difference. And so far, they’ve done so.

The loss against the Clippers, it was Danny Green getting hot, and the wins against Utah and Charlotte were Troy Daniels and Dwight Howard leading the bench mob, respectively.

With the shooting they have in their role players, any given night it could be Green, Daniels, Quinn Cook, or the long awaited Kyle Kuzma getting hot and providing that extra push from the second unit to help the duo of James and Davis get over the hump.

This is also a team waiting on the arrivals of the aforementioned Kuzma and Rajon Rondo, both of whom will lighten the load significantly; with a full roster and the Danny Greens and Troy Daniels of the world putting their two cents into the pile consistently, the Lakers can indeed show the depth of their roster is for real.

Of course, they haven’t been perfect. LeBron and company are visibly still trying to get a complete read on Davis, where and when the most opportune times to get him the ball are, despite flashes of success with alley-oop slams, etc. The Clippers, even though they look to dismantle everyone this year, gave the Lakers’ defense fits. Javale McGee has been fairly disappointing in his first three games, and Frank Vogel already alluded to the idea of Howard’s minutes and possible insertion into the starting lineup if he continues to play well and McGee does not. Not to discredit the more than promising start Dwight Howard has had thus far, but Lakers will be better served with McGee and his more versatile offensive skill set in the starting lineup.

But I must say, even though it was the Hornets, Howard was dominant off the bench with 16-10-4, and Laker Nation ate it up. I loved every second of it. Paid his dues, swallowed his pride, and is playing with tons of enthusiasm.

The Lakers struggled when the Clippers went small and forced Vogel to elect for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to fill in at small forward and try to guard the Terminator that is Kawhi Leonard, which if you missed the game, was the one-on-one beating you would expect it to be.

But this shouldn’t be an issue when Kuzma returns; Vogel has already stated he hopes to have the young forward back sometime during the impending road trip, but time will tell if we see Kuz sooner than later. No rush in my opinion, we need him being that third guy to LeBron and Davis desperately, so let him take his time and get fully right.

The lineup of Bradley, Green, Kuzma, James, and Davis late game has me salivating at the mouth.

Totally unbiased and early reaction: I know this isn’t the quickest, most exciting, or sexiest Laker roster we’ve ever seen, but I loved the identity they’ve pushed out so far. A roster led by two stars who are all world, all business, and all basketball. Behind them are a herd of veterans who understand their role, make smart, winning plays, and are hungry to show their doubters they can take down the heavyweights favored over them.

I genuinely like everyone on the roster, from Davis to the Balding Mamba to Giannis’s kid brother.

Don’t get me wrong, every time I see prodigal son Lonzo Ball (who I will never stop believing in), or the endless arms of BI, or Fortnite legend Josh Hart not play for the purple and gold, I reminisce of the young, run and gun Lakers from last year. All the promise they had, and still have in New Orleans, who once healthy should not be taken for granted for one second on any given night.

But it’s refreshing to see a team with experienced guys like Danny Green playing with poise on both ends, Jared Dudley taking charges, Avery Bradley pestering opposing guards all over the court; its about time we had a break from the mental mistakes of a young team that make you want to pull your hair out. That couldn’t help but get your hopes up with a big time win against a great team, then go out and get outplayed by a New York or Phoenix the very next night from inconsistency. The Lakers grabbed workers who clock in, do their job, and win. No additives or drama (yet, it’s still LA baby).

And I’m with that.

So here’s to good health to this older roster so we can see the complete product as many nights as possible. And above all, if this team gets into the postseason at full steam, with a rested King and Brow, don’t automatically pencil in the Clips. Or Denver. Or Houston.

No matter the seed.

Cheers.