Lakers Finding Diamonds In The Rough, Bargains In Rebuild

Times are tough in Laker land. There’s no getting around that. With college basketball in full March Madness-mode, it’s hard to continue to watch Lakers games. However, it’s times like these where key players for future successes come from.

While the Lakers front office is seemingly enthralled with the idea of the big-name free agent, an idea that may or may not be employed this summer depending on which comments you like to acknowledge of Mitch Kupchak‘s. However, something the Lakers have done a great job of in the last two seasons is finding bargain talent and diamonds in the rough which can be contributors in the future.

What do the likes of Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, and Sasha Vujacic all have in common? Aside from obviously being apart of title-winning teams, they were all acquired at least one season before the Lakers won a title, and multiple seasons in the future for “The Machine” (Vujacic) and Farmar.

Contrary to what fans want to believe, Jim Buss and Kupchak know that a rebuild is a multi-year project and not something that can be fast-tracked short of landing a talent like LeBron James.

And what does this have to do with the current-day Lakers? Contrary to what fans want to believe, Jim Buss and Kupchak know that a rebuild is a multi-year project and not something that can be fast-tracked short of landing a talent like LeBron James. Along those lines, the Lakers have acquired young, cheap talent through both the draft and free agency that could pay dividends in the future for them.

Nick Young

Despite having soured on fans and taken a brunt of the criticism this season, Young is still a potential vital piece for the future. Pure scorers off the bench like Young have their place on contending teams. They provide a spark off the bench and a instant offense when needed.

While Young has been stuck in a slump for most of this year, it’s mostly due to an overall level of play and a slight regression to the mean from last year. His multi-year contract with the Lakers mean they see the potential for him to be a valuable member of the team in the future, and his contract is relatively cheap now and will be even more when the salary cap rises.

Ryan Kelly

Another play who has soured on fans of late for reasons completely out of control. Kelly has been the odd man out of the Lakers way-too-crowded front court. In order to get him more playing time and do to their restrictions, Byron Scott has given Kelly minutes at the small forward role. On one side, it’s more game-time for him to develop, but on the other hand, he’s been badly outplayed more often than not.

However, Kelly is guaranteed under contract this year and will likely play a role in the front court with Carlos Boozer and like Robert Sacre on their way out this summer. He has shown his three-point shooting ability, as well as an ability to get around bigger forwards, if matched up against power forwards and not perimeter-based small forwards.

Wayne Ellington

One of the two diamonds in the rough the Lakers found via free agency this year, Ellington has shined in a role as shooting guard this year, thrust into the starting line-up after Kobe Bryant‘s injury. When given consistent minutes, Ellington has proved to be a dependable guard.

Can Ellington be the back-up shooting guard on a title-contending team? He has knock-down three-point shooting range and has shown a surprising ability to create offense for his teammates. He’s certainly earned another contract with the Lakers this summer.

Ed Davis

Maybe both the biggest surprise and the biggest steal this off-season has been Davis. The young center has not only proven his worth, but shown other facets of his game that he hadn’t shown in the past, namely an ability to protect the rim. His 4.3% block percentage is 11th in the league. Meanwhile, he’s proven he’s as good a rebounder as advertised, standing 14th in the league in rebounding percentage.

Not only should the Lakers keep Davis around, but he’s also expressed a willingness to return to LA. He’s young and could be locked up long-term for a cheap amount, similar to the situation with Young last year. LA would be very wise to re-sign him this summer.

Jordan Clarkson

Obviously, the biggest bright spot in the Lakers’ dull season has been Clarkson, the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He’s far out-performed expectations and looks to be a great piece going forward in the future. His athleticism and ability to get into the lane and to the rim have been most noticeable, but his constant development has been surprising and encouraging.

The Lakers have Clarkson under contract next year with a team option they will certainly pick up and, depending on how his development continues. While I don’t expect him to be a starting point guard in the future, he could very much be a productive back-up point guard, similar to Farmar’s role with the Lakers’ title teams.

Tarik Black

The Lakers have shown creative ways to acquire talent, grabbing Black off waivers when the Rockets waived him to sign Josh Smith. Despite being in and out of the Lakers rotation all season, Black has continually impressed in his time on the court.

The Lakers do not have Black under contract next year, but his on-again-off-again appearances could have been an attempt to re-sign him this summer at a discounted price. Considering Scott has said he expects Julius Randle, Clarkson, and Black on the summer league team this year in Las Vegas, I think it’s safe to say he’ll be back with the Lakers going forward.

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