Yesterday, Coach Byron Scott opened up to questions on twitter, #AskByron. Interesting questions were being asked by the fans and he responded back in kind. At his press conference, he made two promises; the Lakers team would play hard and the team would play defense. This time was no different. It’s his number one priority.
.@Zach2016Monk #1 priority for this season is to get our team to play defense on a consistent basis every single night. #AskByron
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2014
He lays out the steps in how he wants to achieve that.
.@D_fiant Accountability is obviously the first step. Desire & dedication are the next steps. #AskByron
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2014
.@Bailey_Bui Biggest challenge coming to a new team is getting to know your players & putting them in a position to be successful. #AskByron
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2014
He lays out how to balance out the offense.
.@ranuragon We will have our share of PnR because of those two guys & because of Kobe as well. #AskByron
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2014
.@realwonje He'll be going in the post, mid-post, & elbows a lot. There'll be enough room for him to operate in space. #AskByron
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2014
Byron Scott spoke like a true veteran coach. He understands that building relationships is important with the team. He also has a game plan for the Laker squad, but seems flexible to the input to what the Laker players say, especially to Kobe Bryant.
Mike D’Antoni and Mike Brown are veteran coaches with great playoff success. The game plan from each of them didn’t come through as transparent to the fans as Byron Scott has made it. Byron has a plan for the team, a plan for the organization, and purple and gold blood to execute it.
Luke Walton said it best.
"“He grew up in the Pat Riley tree,” Former Lakers player turned Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton said recently of Scott, according to the O.C. Register, “so you know everything he’s putting you through as a player, he went through as a player. Even though he is tough on his players and there’s a lot of running and conditioning, he also cares about his players.” – Ross Pickering"
The Lakers are going back to their roots as an organization. They grabbed a piece of their championship history during their glory years of the 1980’s. Byron Scott didn’t have the same success in Cleveland as he did with the New Orleans Hornets and New Jersey Nets, but you can bet he wants to bring championship success back to where it belongs, his home in Los Angeles.