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Lakers: Head Coach Byron Scott Still Just Doesn’t Get It

By Ed Schrenzel

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What words come to mind when you think of Lakers coach Byron Scott?

Some fans on social media call him old school, others label him a throwback. Some say he’s obstinate and hard-headed. Still others are less kind and call him clueless.

It’s hard to find many who are complimentary of the job he has done over the last two seasons. What is certain is that he has made some curious decisions, especially when it comes to deploying players on the Lakers roster.

In each of these seasons, it became painfully clear very early on that the Lakers were going to struggle. In fact, it is easy to see that this season, just like last year, they once again won’t even come close to making the playoffs, much less contend for a title.

Fans have to understand the reality of the situation and hope the future will be better. And a coach has to come to the same realization and start playing more for the future than the present.

So the rest of the season should logically look like this:

  1. Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle should lead the team in minutes played. The three are all young and represent future hopes.
  2. For every minute that Kobe Bryant is out of a game, Clarkson and Russell should be on the court together. Playing side-by-side without the need to pass the ball to Kobe on every possession will allow them to develop chemistry together. Then Lakers management can determine whether they are indeed the backcourt of the future, or whether one needs to be traded.
  3. Tarik Black, who showed great promise with the team last year, should be playing back-up center rather than Robert Sacre, who is no better than a deep end-of-the-bench player, or Brandon Bass, who is actually a very respectable power forward and a player the Lakers might trade during this season.
  4. Anthony Brown should be given an opportunity to play. In pre-season games he showed the potential to be a good ‘3 and D’ small forward, which is a position the team will need to fill next year following Bryant’s retirement. Now is the time to give him real NBA experience and see what he can do.
  5. Larry Nance Jr. should continue to be given solid court time as a backup power forward. His energy and athleticism have already made him a fan favorite, and he should continue to improve.

Yes, all of the above are obvious steps for a team that should be focused on its future. But Byron Scott continues to defy logic.

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Last year, it wasn’t until the backcourt was decimated by injuries not just to Bryant, but to the likes of journeyman Ronnie Price before Scott finally inserted Clarkson into the lineup. And when he was finally given playing time, Jordan responded by becoming the best surprise of the Lakers season, making the first-team all NBA rookie team.

This year, to the exasperation of most fans, Scott has seemingly played mind games with Russell, who the Lakers selected with the second pick of the 2015 draft.

First, he refused to let him play meaningful fourth quarter minutes. Then, just as Russell was starting to show why the Lakers brass thought so highly of him, Scott moved him out of the starting lineup. To Russell’s credit, he has continued to play at a much higher level than he did when the season started.

In similar fashion, shortly after Randle had recorded a slew of consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds, Scott moved the team’s first round pick from 2014 to a reserve role as well. Randle has had some difficulty adjusting to his new role, but he has enough flashes to excite Lakers fans and management.

In the big picture, it shouldn’t really matter whether a player starts or comes off the bench. What is important is how many minutes he plays. How Scott divides up those minutes leaves many fans scratching their heads and wondering what he’s doing.

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For example, Scott has buried Black DEEP on the bench, rarely inserting him into games. And he’s given virtually no time at all to rookie Brown, preferring instead to go with aging Metta World Peace at small forward.

Scott is also giving major minutes to veteran guard Lou Williams, who has been a nice complimentary player throughout his career, but never a star. At the same time, until recently he over-used Bryant, who in the final season of his Hall of Fame career is best suited to play 24-30 minutes a game.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize how little it matters whether the team ends up winning 15 or 20 or even 30 games this year (except that the worse their record is, the better chance they’ll have at getting a top 3 spot in the draft lottery and keeping their pick). And of course Kobe (and likely MWP) will not be around to help the team next year.

So it appears that fans have a legitimate gripe when they ask why doesn’t Byron Scott get it? Instead, why does he seem to be so focused on trying to eke out as many wins as possible now rather than attempting to develop a better team for the future?

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A leopard doesn’t change its spots, so it’s doubtful Scott will alter his approach. It is up to the Lakers management team of Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss to convince him otherwise, or perhaps to hand the coaching reins to someone else next year.

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