Center Roy Hibbert (55) – Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers have an extremely young core, and they need their own opportunity to carve a spot in Lakers history.
For Buss to say something like that shows that the organization is committed to moving forward with their rebuild whether that includes Bryant or not. It would be tremendous if Bryant came back next season to teach these guys what it takes to be great.
Buss also covered exactly what success means to him in regards to this new team. He defined success for this season as having, “eight core players that are going to be Lakers for the next five years.”
That core group includes Russell, Clarkson, Randle, and even Roy Hibbert, according to Buss. He was complimentary of all of those players.
Randle is a “beast,” a nickname that Randle is becoming all too familiar with. Russell “can be anything in the league,” and Clarkson is following the same path that earned him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team last season.
Laker fans know this team’s future is tied intimately to the futures of Clarkson, Russell and Randle, but including Hibbert among that group is interesting. The Lakers traded for Hibbert this summer, but his contract expires at the end of this year.
For the last two seasons, the Lakers have mostly shuffled one-year deals, and there’s been a carousel of players on the roster. Stability is key to development and success. It’s exciting to hear that the organization is committed to moving in that direction.
The other point of interest is the other four players that will join Hibbert, Randle, Russell, and Clarkson in Buss’ group of eight core players in the next five years.
Are they on the team right now? Are the Lakers thinking of making some moves this season?
Lou Williams is under contract for three years now, is he included as a core member?
Are Brandon Bass, Larry Nance Jr., Anthony Brown or Jabari Brown included? What about Tarik Black?
Next: The Three-Year Plan