How the Lakers can develop their young talent

Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly vs Wesley Johnson – Small Forward

Henry can be Bryant’s eventual replacement at the two guard, if in fact Bryant will retire in 2 seasons. He has shown an all around skill set and a tough mindedness that has endeared him to Lakers fans. Henry is still improving at age 23 and he is the most developed of the team’s young prospects. He played a significant role last  season during Bryant’s absence  but it remains to be seen what role he can carve out with a logjam at the wings. Bryant, Nick Young, and Wesley Johnson will all get their minutes. What can Henry expect? Will he get the chance to build on a promising 2013-14 or will he fall back?

Wesley Johnson is the returning starter and still remains a youngish player at age 27, but questions abound as to whether he is the answer at small forward. The former top 4 pick showed both flashes of athletic brilliance and glaring examples of disappearing that has exemplified his NBA career to date. Johnson is a good player but often is too content to play the background when his talent screams for him to do more. This is his year to prove that he is a long-term solution at small forward.

Ryan Kelly, at the moment, is the player most likely left out in the cold. He showed flashes of being not just a deadly shooter but an effective scorer off the dribble, as arguably the best 2nd rounder in the 2013 draft. Kelly is athletic in a subtle way and is capable of earning minutes as a small forward. At 7-foot, however, it would be in the best interest of all involved for him to evolve into a true power forward, where his shooting would be a deadly asset and his lack of lateral quickness wouldn’t be as exposed. Kelly is not only blocked by Johnson at the moment from receiving more playing time, but also by Randle. He needs to add bulk and become less reluctant to use his best weapon – his jumper. If he sheds the shot fake that plagued his game last season and comes back to training camp with a gunner’s mentality, Kelly can be the 2nd unit’s x factor in limited minutes. He’s far too good to sit but isn’t better than Henry and doesn’t quite have a position yet. With an overall lack of shooting on the roster, it will be interesting to see how Scott delegates minutes.

In the end, the Lakers have a specific set of issues to address. Are they rebuilding? Are they a group of mercenaries? Are they trying to win this year or just give the appearance of being competitive? Regardless of the answer, the team can ill afford to sit its young players. They need playing time where it matters, not in the D League. That will speed up the retooling process and possibly create the building blocks for the next string of championships.