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Young Lakers Finally Beginning to Show Free Agents Promise

By Eric Yee

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The young Los Angeles Lakers are finally giving free agents something to be excited about

Entering the season, much of the hoopla surrounded the fantasy of the Lakers magically seducing Kevin Durant to come to the Lakers at the end of the 2015-2016 season, filling the ever vacant small forward hole they so politely left open for him. But it wasn’t until recently that the actual probability of any free agent wanting to play with the Lakers was even a plausible idea.

By any standards, this was going to be a trying year for the Purple and Gold. Projected to get around 25 wins on the entire season, fans knew but didn’t want to accept the sad truth of it all. With Kobe Bryant on his last legs and the Lakers’ roster made up of college students and players for hire, their ceiling was relatively low to begin win.

However, in typical LA fashion, with the flair for the dramatic, the Los Angeles Lakers have channeled their inner zombie and come back from the dead in recent weeks with impressive come back efforts against the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans. Yes, the Lakers have currently dropped four of their last five contests but the Lakers aren’t the same team they were a month ago.

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After falling behind early to the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers rallied back from 30 points down in the second half, taking the lead in the final minute of the game only to have D’Angelo Russell sprain his ankle and victory slip through their fingers.

Similarly, in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers were down by as much as 11 in fourth quarter, but behind the heroics of Lou Williams, were able to have the game come down to the very last possessions.

It wasn’t until Tuesday night against the Pelicans that the Lakers were finally able to get over the hump and finish off their comeback effort with a win. Prior to their four game win streak, the Lakers were a team that would do one of two things:

  1. Get down by double-digits early and proceed to get blown out for the rest of the game
  2. Stay in striking distance through three quarters, only to be demolished in the fourth quarter

However, since the start of the New Year, this Lakers team is finally beginning to show signs of life, and it all starts with the young Lakers finally getting time to develop.

Despite being demoted to the bench, D’Angelo Russell is starting to get minutes when they actually matter — in the right lineups and at the right parts of the game. One noticeable change is the fact that when coming off the bench, Russell doesn’t have to play as much with ball dominant guards, Kobe Bryant and Lou Williams, on the floor. Instead, he gets to run with fellow rookies Jordan Clarkson, Anthony Brown and Julius Randle, all anchored down by veteran Brandon Bass.

Russell is improving every game, whether it be his situation awareness in the pick and roll, his improved three point shot, or even simply, his understanding of the game at this level period. His progress will only continue to impressive when the Lakers surround him with the right be pieces, namely three point shooters and reliable roll men, be it at the trade deadline or in free agency.

Additionally, Jordan Clarkson’s usage rating is at an all time high and though he often finds himself struggling early, he’s becoming a player who can be counted on in the clutch. For example, in Tuesday night’s win over the Pelicans, Clarkson finished 5-of-17 from the floor, but the majority of those five buckets came in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.

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Clarkson’s ceiling as a player is only limited by his own personality, for if he truly develops that killer instinct and channels his inner Russell Westbrook, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with alongside DLoading.

On top of the Russell-Clarkson duo who continue to impress, rookie Anthony Brown is finally starting to show flashes of his potential as a 3-and-D player. Guarding Kevin Durant down the stretch and hitting two timely threes in their comeback against the Pelicans, Brown has made the most of his limited opportunities.

Playing just around 25 minutes per contest in the past seven games, Brown’s numbers aren’t significant by any means, as it is the things that don’t go in the stat sheet that make him valuable. Hard close outs after broken possessions, boxing out on bigger men, hitting threes to stop the bleeding, Anthony Brown may never get the credit that he deserves, Robert Horry style, but he’s the perfect compliment to the up-and-coming Lakers youth movement.

Larry Nance Jr. continues to strive as a starter, averaging nearly a double-double since the move and similar to Brown, he doesn’t need the credit. Instead, he just comes out every night and plays the game how it’s supposed to be played, with no concerns or complaints, more so happy for the opportunity to showcase his skills. Julius Randle is struggling to find his place on this roster but once he figures it out, he will be a valuable asset to this team especially on the boards.

As mentioned in previous articles, a line up of Russell-Clarkson-Brown-Randle/Nance Jr-Hassan Whiteside would be a switch heavy, long, defensive monster of the future. Further, insert Durant into that lineup for Brown and that team has some serious potential.

Next: 3 Things We Learned About LA After Defeating the Pelicans

Still, at this point, it seems like you’d have a better chance of hitting the $1.5 billion PowerBall than this lineup ever coming to fruition but it’s only half way through the season and the Lakers are trending upwards. A lot can happen in 42 games, so keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way.

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