The effects of the shortest offseason in the history of the NBA have rubbed off on the Los Angeles Lakers. They are scheduled to play against their LA rivals, the Clippers, in their first preseason game on Friday. However, head coach Frank Vogel has officially stated that the team’s two pillars won’t be playing these season opener games along with some new additions.

Ironically, exactly two months before their season opener, the Lakers had won the NBA Championship against the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. And now, they will face the team that everyone expected them to battle with, in the Conference Finals. It was the Clippers’ premature exit, thanks to the Denver Nuggets, that robbed spectators of this matchup.

Now that this match up is finally here, the purple and gold will have to go on without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both James and Davis signed an extension with the team that added a title to their resume. Davis shook on a five-year deal worth $190 million and James agreed to a 2-year extension worth $85 million.

So why is Vogel sitting them out?

What is the Lakers’ game plan?

With the league’s decision to start the season sooner than expected, it is paramount for Vogel to keep his best players healthy before they face the big guns in the regular season. The players haven’t got much of a break and having them sit out right now is an effort to ensure that they do.

Their newly acquired forward from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Alfonzo McKinnie, will also not play. Alfonso hasn’t turned up for training camp yet either, and Vogel called it an “excused absence”.

This is good news for the young players of the team who want to show their potential. What’s better than a situation where they don’t have superstars overshadowing them? This means more minutes for Talen Horton-Tucker.

The Lakers shouldn’t feel the need to take the preseason that seriously. It is a smart move to transition key players into the games, making sure they don’t undergo any injuries. So what if it costs them a few wins in the beginning? What’s more important is how they proceed long term, and this is where this tactic fits in perfectly.