Lakers news: Road difficulties, Bronny's first bucket, trade buzz

As sports fans, we do it all the time. Our team wins a few games and we believe they'll never lose again. Drop a couple in a row and the sky is falling.

The Los Angeles Lakers are only five games into their season, but their fans have already experienced both ends of the emotional spectrum. A 3-0 start with wins over the Timberwolves, Suns and Kings made it seem like the Lakers were ready to escape the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, while back-to-back losses, including a 24-point wipeout in the James family's return to Cleveland on Wednesday night, begs the question of whether the team's hot start was just a case of beginner's luck for new head coach JJ Redick.

As with most things, the answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. The Lakers have achieved their 3-2 record while playing only good teams. Most clubs would be happy with a 49-win pace against contenders, and with a much softer slate in the next few weeks, L.A. will have a great shot to put itself further above .500.

As is always the case, there's so much worth discussing when it comes to this team. Let's get into some of the more pertinent bits of news.

Are L.A.'s home/road splits a cause for early concern?

As mentioned above, the Lakers are 3-2. What's been the biggest difference between the wins and losses? That's an easy one. The most obvious indicator of the Lakers' success or failure is where the game is played.

The Lakers are 3-0 at home, and 0-2 when forced to venture out of the familiar confines of Crypto.com Arena. In light of last year's team going 28-14 at home and 19-21 on the road, this is concerning, to say the least.

Most teams in the NBA, and all sports for that matter, play better at home than they do on the road. The great ones, though, are able to stay above water when they have to travel. Just look at last year's standings for confirmation. The Thunder, Nuggets and Wolves finished top-three in the West and all three were phenomenal at home, with a combined record of 96-27. They still got it done on the road, though, finishing the year 74-49.

It's too early to panic about the Lakers' road performance. The Suns were out for revenge after blowing a big lead in L.A. a few nights before, and the Cavs, who are now 5-0, look like they've leveled up this year. It is worth monitoring these next three games, though, as the Lakers travel to take on the Raptors, Pistons and Grizzlies in the next week. A serious contender would win at least two of those. Let's see what the Lakers can do.

Bronny James gets into the scoring column

Lakers fans didn't have to wait long to see Bronny James share the court with his dad in a regular season game, as the father-and-son duo played together in the second quarter on Opening Night.

Seeing LeBron and Bronny on the court together caused a split reaction among NBA fans, with some appreciating the history of seeing two generations come together, and others wondering what the big deal was if Bronny wasn't able to make a meaningful contribution.

The reality is that Bronny is a late second-round pick, and as such doesn't have much in the way of expectations, despite his famous name. Redick spoke last week about the plan for Bronny's development, saying the rookie would be shuttling between the L.A. Lakers and the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate.

Bronny appeared in his second game on Wednesday, and though the outcome was already decided by time he checked in with 5:16 remaining in the fourth quarter, he did get to tick off one thing on his rookie checklist: scoring his first NBA points.

Bronny went 1-2 on the night, knocking down a 14-footer with just over two minutes left before missing a three in the final minute.

Barring some major injuries or a big leap in his game, Bronny will mostly be consigned to garbage time when he does get on the court in his rookie year. Now that he's played with his dad and scored his first points, he can focus on improving and carving his own NBA path.

Walker Kessler continues to be the main subject of Lakers trade rumors

No matter were LeBron goes, there's always a trail of trade rumors that follow him. Not for him to be dealt, although the offseason rumors of a LeBron-Steph Curry team-up were fun to contemplate for a hot minute.

Any team LeBron has ever been on has been a player in the trade market, and this Lakers team looks like it will be no exception. Early-season rumors have swirled around GM Rob Pelinka's interest in Jazz big man Walker Kessler. For anyone that watched the loss to the Cavs, it's easy to see why.

Anthony Davis is a phenomenal defender, but he can't do it all by himself. Cleveland, with its 1-2 post punch of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, shot over 57 percent and scored 68 points in the paint, which propelled the Cavs to an easy win.

Kessler is one of the best young rim protectors in the league. He blocked more shots per game than the prolific Davis last year, and in fact finished only behind Victor Wembanyama across the entire NBA.

The Jazz, despite locking up Lauri Markkanen to a monster five-year, $238 million extension back in August, may be more interested in entering the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes than trying to compete for a playoff spot. That could make Kessler expendable, especially since trading him would kneecap their defense and help ensure better lottery odds.

Davis has been having the best offensive season of his career, and having Kessler to absorb the most physically-demanding frontcourt defensive assignments could free him up to continue his prolific scoring all year.

If the Lakers really have designs on obtaining Kessler, they may want to move quickly, as they're far from the only team rumored to have interest in acquiring his services.