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Through four games, the Lakers have looked good. Very good. And they should, particularly since no starter is averaging more than Pau Gasol's 35:54 of playing time per night. Kobe Bryant is at 30:55, Lamar Odom 34:03, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher both under 30. Even the perimeter shooting, a major bugaboo for the 2009-'10 squad, has been rock solid. As a team, the Lakers finished last night's rout of Memphis landing a robust 45.6 percent of their three-point attempts in the young season.

Who are you, and what have you done with last year's team?

While the percentages will surely fall, the Lakers are connecting primarily because the many of the looks couldn't be more open if they came in a game of HORSE. As a group, they're setting up shots from the inside-out, and making the extra pass. It's fun to watch. In theory, a short trip to visit a near-lock lottery team would offer a tailor-made opportunity to keep the momentum going. Except Sacramento is one of the more dangerous lottery teams around, and always seems to cause the Lakers trouble. "They come out ready," says Gasol. "They come out firing, and have a talented team. A lot of guys that can score, and create some problems. We have to make sure we come out focused."

At 3-1, the Kings are confident, and while the Arco crowd isn't quite what it once was -- "I haven't heard them in a long time," Bryant said Tuesday of the once-ubiquitous Sacto cowbells -- they'll be fired up for this one.

Here's what to look for.

1. Tyreke Evans in the Paint: There is a lot of polish still left to apply on his game, but no question Sacramento's second year guard is a full on hoss. At 6'6", 220 Evans has a Artest-esque frame with backcourt speed. He can be very, very difficult to keep out of the lane, helping explain his lofty ranking among point guards last season in free throw attempts per game. I asked Steve Blake Tuesday night how the Lakers can control Evans:



The Lakers will need to be careful about collapsing too hard on Evans, and opening lanes for shooters. While the Kings don't necessarily profile as a team of three-point bombers, they're currently shooting about 40 percent as a team. Omri Casspi (47.4 percent on nearly five three's a game) and Francisco Garcia (54.5 on 2.8) are the most dangerous shooters.

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There's a limit to how much relevant information about a player's potential can truly be taken away from Summer League performances. The competition isn't consistently high level, and good performances in July don't always translate once the real season begins. In other words, grains of salt must be always be taken.

Tuesday's 90-84 loss to the Sacramento Kings, however, presented a reasonably noteworthy afternoon for second round picks Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks. Sacto's Vegas squad features particularly interesting matchups for the Laker youngsters looking to make their bones. For Caracter, it was a showdown against fifth overall pick DeMarcus Cousins (a center considered by many to be as talented as anybody in the draft). For his part, Ebanks shadowed honest-to-goodness NBA players Omri Casspi and Donte Greene at small forward.

These are as tough of assignments as either could expect this summer, and in my estimation, both acquitted themselves rather nicely.

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