If you scour the box score, you can find performances which instill hope in the team's future, as well as those that hint at forthcoming frustration.
The numbers don't tell the entire story—Steve Blake probably won't have a two-game stretch this year where he shoots 1-for-21 like he has in his past two games—but they are a strong indicator of a player's abilities.
Here are the three most intriguing stat lines from L.A.'s preseason games thus far.
Xavier Henry vs. the Golden State Warriors (10/5)
The Line: 9-15 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 9-11 FT, 29 points, seven rebounds, two steals in 26 minutes
Xavier Henry was a revelation in his first preseason game in purple and gold.
The former lottery pick exploded off the bench for a game-high 29 points in 26 minutes, on just 15 shots.
Henry showed a strong handle and excellent attacking instincts out of the pick-and-roll. He relentlessly drove to the basket, using the ever-popular Eurostep to either finish at the rim or draw fouls.
Racking up trips to the free-throw line has been Henry's biggest strength on offense. He was in the top-three in the league among perimeter players in free-throw rate last season, and he displayed his knack for getting to the line here.
It was encouraging to see him knock down a high percentage of his freebies as well. It doesn't mean much to repeatedly get to the line if you can't make the defense pay for sending you there. Henry—a career 62 percent foul shooter—connected on more than 80 percent of his attempts in this game and has kept up a decent clip throughout the preseason.
What's most intriguing about Henry's performance th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers