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Lakers Road To Relevance: Player Development Must Reign Supreme

By Anthony Yassa

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Jan 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks with forward Julius Randle in the second half of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center. Lakers won 93-84. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks with forward Julius Randle in the second half of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center. Lakers won 93-84. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Coaching

The first step is to ensure that the team has a coaching staff suited to a developing team. At this point, the current coaching staff does not appear to be a good fit for the Lakers organization.

Byron Scott‘s coaching style has been maligned from the start, but when considered with player development in mind, his fit with the team appears even worse. Scott has mismanaged the minutes of young players consistently, as well as growing clearly frustrated with the mistakes that come along with the development of young players.

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This mentality should no longer be allowed in the Lakers organization, as the youth of the team is truly the only hope for the future. Byron Scott is currently a major barrier to the growth of the young players, as his latest gaffe has been playing D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle off the bench, as well as drastically decreasing their minutes.

This is far from his only mistake however, as he has also kept Tarik Black and Anthony Brown off the court for most of the season.

Scott has also created unnecessary tension in the locker room by consistently blaming his players for the team’s struggles. His comments throughout the season have even led to some players openly disagreeing with him, and his pass the buck mentality is far from that of an ideal leader.

Bringing in a coaching staff willing to allow young players time to grow, and facilitate that growth through strong leadership, will be a huge upgrade over the current situation in Lakerland.

The changes that will need to be made to ensure development go beyond the coach however, as the front office bears much of the blame for this season as well. The front office must abandon their current strategy of star-chasing, and focusing on adding quality young players who can be a part of the team in the long-term.

Signing players like Metta World Peace and Macelo Huertas, when those roster spots could have been given to young players like Jabari Brown and Robert Upshaw, is already looking like a huge mistake.

If the Lakers are to improve their overall trajectory, the front office must change things during this season. Veterans like Brandon Bass, and particularly Lou Williams, must be moved via trade to allow the young players more minutes and touches. Ideally the Lakers would acquire picks or young players in these deals, but even the opening of a roster spot could be valuable.

Cutting or trading veteran players, and bringing in younger ones, particularly those who already have a history with the team, could be a great start to building a cohesive unit in Los Angeles. However, this would be a major shift in approach for the Lakers front office, as they have been extremely reluctant to fully devote themselves to a complete rebuild.

Next: Developing LA's Young Stars

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