Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 108-92 loss to the Clippers

By the time the Lakers finished their 2016-17 campaign 26-56, their season-opening win over the Houston Rockets was a distant memory.

They won more games than they should have early in the season, lost sight of some of their goals and then tumbled hard in December, going 2-14.

If Thursday night’s game is any indication, the Lakers are beginning this season with a very firm idea of what they need to improve. This year’s opener did not go well. The best moments for the Laker fans in the building came when the Dodgers’ game finished in Chicago and that team was back in the World Series. Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ 108-92 loss to the Clippers.

1. The Lakers shot really poorly to start the game, making only 1 of 11 shots. Their second field goal came with 5:45 left in the first quarter and that poor shooting impacted their energy overall. “We have to learn that in this league that’s not something that should affect the way that we play the rest of the game as far as defense and getting after rebounds and all those type of things,” coach Luke Walton said. It’s a common refrain from last season and something that good defensive teams can combat. To restate the obvious, the Lakers aren’t there yet.

2. Lonzo Ball struggled, but it would be utterly ridiculous to draw definitive conclusions about what Ball’s career will be based on his first game. He struggled Thursday night against one of the best defensive players in the NBA. Patrick Beverley worked to get in his head, to pester him throughout the game, and he got physical with him, once even shoving him on the court. Ball took only six shots and made just one, finishing with just the points from that three-pointer. “We got blown out, so I didn’t play too well,” Ball said. He was asked if he wished he was more aggressive and he said he did. “My job is to move the offense, and I felt like it was going good, the shots just weren’t falling.” NBA defenses will dare a rookie point guard to shoot, especially if they know that isn’t that player’s strength. The Clippers did that at times last night, and that’s something Ball will have to adjust to as he develops in his career.

3. Julius Randle was not pleased. Randle slipped out of the locker room before most of the reporters covering the game could get back in there after Walton’s press conference. He came off the bench after starting in 73 of 74 games he played last season. And while he sat there, he did not look happy. When Randle finally entered the game with 3:17 left in the third quarter, Walton didn’t like what he saw and said Randle was frustrated. “He wasn’t ready to go, like he has been for the past week, so I pulled him out to tell him about it,” Walton said. “I know he wasn’t happy with me but that’s my job. It’s an adjustment, but it’s something you have to do when you’re coming off the bench, when you get put in the game you have to be ready to go that moment. It’s not easy, but he can do it and he’ll be fine. But I think it was, like a lot of tonight, a learning experience.”

4. Andrew Bogut played only 11 minutes but had a couple monster blocks during that time. His ability as a rim protector is a big part of why he is here. He’d been showing that in practice all week, and quickly showed it in a game.

5. At one point the Clippers led by 30 points. Naturally, most of the Lakers’ plus/minus ratings were negative. Only two Lakers finished with non-negative ratings: Corey Brewer and Larry Nance Jr. Nance got the start over Randle and immediately made an impact. I’d say he seems energized by the renewed confidence shown in him, but Nance has always been a high-energy player for the Lakers. He finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and scored the first points of this Lakers season.

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli