With the season coming to a close, the Los Angeles Lakers must focus on winning games to continue to develop their culture.
As I wrote my last piece about how the Los Angeles Lakers should give more minutes to younger players like Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant, I began to wonder if resting our starters deliberately to evaluate youth was a smart decision.
The Lakers have been getting better as the season has gone on, and disrupting their momentum may be a bad idea. They have won 18 out of there last 27 games, and have begun to develop a winning culture.
Head coach Luke Walton has stressed to his team about building a winning culture since his arrival. At his introductory press conference way back in June 2016, he laid out his vision of establishing a championship culture. During that press conference, he said…
"“We’re going to put our stamp on the culture that we want…It’s going to be joy. Our players are going to like coming into practice every day. We’re going to play a brand of basketball that the L.A. fans will appreciate. We’re going to compete.”“There’s gonna be an emphasis on the culture going forward, and that’s going to be up to us and the staff that we bring in to hold the guys accountable and make them want to be a part of that.”"
Walton has done a great job at establishing a winning culture. With his Lakers tasting victory more often, he’s been able to convince his players to buy in to his philosophy. His emphasis on clear communication, defensive intensity and frequent passing have led to a team-first mindset among the players.
Having a player like Lonzo Ball running that system is certainly helpful. His gifted passing skills have been infectious for the team, helping the team rank 6th in the league in assists with 24.0 a game, per TeamRankings.com.
Having a veteran like Isaiah Thomas on the team has helped further that culture. In 2015, Thomas arrived in Boston via trade, and landed on a rebuilding team. With his help, that team snuck into the playoffs off his strong belief that they could compete and win against the best. He’s trying to replicate that process with this Lakers team. After the comeback win over the Spurs on March 3rd, Thomas had this to say to reporters…
"“When I got here I said, ‘Why not win now?’ Not saying it’s all on me or we’re winning just because of me, but I think I put that in these guys’ minds. Like, we can win every game we play in. Why can’t we? We’re just as good as everybody else. Let’s think, ‘win now,’ and let’s try to make a run for the playoffs.”"
While the playoffs may be out of the equation for the Lakers now, that shouldn’t deter the team from focusing on winning. The Lakers have won 30 games so far this season, according to NBA.com. That total is their greatest win total since the 2012-2013 team with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have had a tough few seasons since then, but this years team has shown that the rebuild effort Jeanie Buss undertook is finally paying off.
So, if the team is the most successful it has been in 5 years, why not try to sustain that success? Why not compete hard every game and try to win? The rookies would do well to learn what a winning team and atmosphere looks like early on in their career.
Furthermore, the more this team wins, the greater of an attraction they are upcoming free agents like LeBron James. James and max-level free agents want to join a team that is already competitive but is one piece away from championship contention. If the Lakers can prove that they are a competitive team by finishing the season strong, they will make a good case to free agents like James as to why he should come join them.
The Lakers remaining schedule is favorable for them to continue their winning ways. Per NBA.com’s schedules, the Lakers have 16 games remaining, with 9 at home and 7 on the road. This stretch includes only 2 back-to-backs, as well as a 4 game road stretch. However, the Lakers have a favorable 3-game and 4-game home stand. Though they only play 4 teams during this stretch who are out of playoff contention, their strong play should help them win games against their upcoming opponents.
The Lakers’ winning ways have captivated the city of Los Angeles and caught the attention of the NBA. They no longer are a team that opponents expect an easy win over. They’ve recently demanded the respect of LeBron and the Cavs, but they’ve put the rest of the league on notice. This is a team that will compete hard every night, playoffs or not.
Next: Ranking the Top 5 free agents in 2018 and 2019
Walton has established his desired championship culture. This has helped the Lakers rebuild start to take its effect with the team improving steadily. The next step of that rebuild? Acquire a marquee free agent. How to do that? Win, win and keep winning. Though the Lakers aren’t chasing a playoff spot anymore, they’re focused on chasing sustained success.