Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers' starters were benched down the stretch of their 101-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The Lakers were trailing 91-83 when Walton removed Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Larry Nance Jr. and Brook Lopez from the game with just under four minutes left to play.

"I took the starters out a little early in the third because they didn't get back in transition defense. which is our No. 1 key to being a good defensive team," Walton said. "We talked about how important that third quarter was with the momentum of the game changing and them being a playoff team, so we can't afford to give those up so as a teaching lesson we took them out a little earlier than I normally have done."

"Unfortunately, we didn't get back on defense again with four minutes to go in a close winnable game," Walton added. "You can't just give away free points. To let them know how serious we are about transition defense, we pulled them out again. We were going to let the starters see what they can do with the game. But when they didn't get back on the break, they are telling me and each other that they don't really want to finish that game."

"I think we just lost our intensity, to be honest," Ball said. "A good team over there and they came back [in the] second half strong, and we didn't accept it very well and we lost."

Kobe Bryant would like either Phil Jackson or Michael Jordan to present him when he's inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"In terms of who might present, for me it’s two people: Michael Jordan or Phil Jackson," said Bryant. "They’ve been the greatest mentors, not only in my career as an athlete, but also as a person. And what I might say is just a lot of thank yous. ‘Cause I’ve had a lotta help along the way. A lotta lotta help."

Bryant had a tumultuous relationship with Jackson from 1999 until 2004, but they became more effective collaborators during Jackson's second tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021.

DeMarcus Cousins regrets not pushing for a trade from the Sacramento Kings in 2015 while feuding with George Karl.

Cousins wanted to remain with the Kings at that time, but he was traded less than two years later ahead of the 2017 trade deadline.

“There were plenty of situations where I’m like, ‘Man, why didn’t you just do it this way?’ ” Cousins recently told ESPN. “And there was plenty of times where I was a victim. But at the end of the day, it’s still on me. My biggest regret is not leaving when I had the chance.

“I had the chance, but I fought it. I had the chance to leave, but I didn’t.”

According to an NBA source, Cousins’ representatives told Kings general manager Vlade Divac after the 2014-15 season that their client wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers but was open to other possible deals.

Cousins ultimately told his representatives and the Kings that he wanted to stay.

“I wanted to give it a chance because my representatives told me I shouldn’t stay,” Cousins said. “I guess you could say I was stubborn and loyal. I wanted to make things work.”

Cousins regrets being loyal to the Kings.

“I kind of blame myself for even putting myself at that point,” Cousins said. “You knew coming in this was a business. How are you going to be loyal to something that ain’t even loyal to any player that’s ever played this game? I was a fool.

“But at the same time, it doesn’t change who I am. … I still live by that code. You’ve just got to learn how to separate business and your personal life. And all that did was teach me a lesson.”

The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team options for the 2018-19 season on Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr.

Ingram, the second overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, appeared in 79 games (40 starts) as a rookie last season, averaging 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists, en route to All-Rookie Second Team honors. Ingram has started all three games this season, tallying 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.8 minutes.

Selected 27th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Nance Jr. played in 126 games (29 starts) over the last two seasons, notching 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In three games (three starts) this season, Nance Jr. is averaging 11.3 points (.556 FG%), 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 22.0 minutes.

Luol Deng has been kept inactive by the Los Angeles Lakers for their past two games.

Luke Walton indicated that he will likely remain out of their rotation.

“As of now he’s not in the rotation as far as consistently penciled in without something happening,” Walton said.

Deng signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Lakers in 2016.

“We’ve talked,” Walton said. “It’s 82 games. There’s a lot that’s going to change, but for right now we’ve asked him to stay sharp, to keep working to stay ready for when he gets called on and continue mentoring our young players.”

The Lakers are seeking multiple max salary slots for the 2018 offseason and will almost certainly need to attach an asset to trade Deng, if not multiple assets.

The South Bay Lakers have hired Metta World Peace as a player development coach.

World Peace comes to South Bay as a seasoned veteran of the Lakers organization, having spent six seasons as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers (2009-13, 2015-17). World Peace was a key player on the 2010 NBA Champion Lakers and ranks ninth all-time in three pointers made (420) in franchise history. The four-time All-Defensive team selection posted career averages of 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his 17-year career with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Rockets, Knicks and Lakers.

World Peace joins Head Coach Coby Karl and Assistant Coaches Brian Walsh, Isaiah Fox, Dane Johnson and Sean Nolen to finalize the South Bay Lakers’ coaching staff for the 2017-18 season.

Lonzo Ball struggled in his first NBA game as he was hounded by Patrick Beverley, finishing with three points, nine rebounds and four assists.

“I’ll be ready,” Ball told The Vertical. “I have to show it in my game, because when we win, people won’t talk. But if we lose, people will think it affects me. It’s wins and losses for me. We know it’s a process.”

Beverley was determined to give Ball a hostile welcome to the NBA that it won't be an easy transition.

“I told him after the game, man, due to the riff raff … he’s going to get a lot of people coming at him,” Beverley said. “He has to be ready for that.”

“I don’t want to get into one-on-one battles,” Ball told The Vertical. “It’s five on five, not me versus him.

“He’s going to do what he can, but I have to do what I can to get us wins.”

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed upon a two-way contract with Vander Blue.

Blue was with the Lakers during camp and released before the start of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Travis Wear.

Wear most recently was a member of the Lakers’ entry in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, where he contributed 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists as Los Angeles won their first summer league championship. The 6-foot-10 forward played in 42 games (13 starts) for the South Bay Lakers last season, tallying 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

The Lakers training camp roster stands at 19.

The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on forward V.J. Beachem and center Stephen Zimmerman.

Beachem scored two points with one assist in four minutes of play vs. Denver on October 4. Zimmerman tallied two points, one rebound and one assist in three minutes of action. 

The Lakers training camp roster stands at 18.