Los Angeles Lakers: Rob Pelinka discusses benefits of being an agent

Recently, Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers discussed the differences and similarities of being an agent and general manager.

Going from the agent of Kobe Bryant to the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rob Pelinka has a lot of experience in the NBA. While he hasn’t been a general manager for long, the early reviews on Pelinka have been very good.

With a good eye for talent as an agent, Pelinka has done a nice job building the young core of the Lakers. In his first draft as a general manager, the Lakers were able to add three impact players in Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart. In addition to those three, the Lakers also took Thomas Bryant in the second round, who might be able to contribute in a couple of years as well.

Recently, Pelinka talked with ESPN about some of the differences between being an agent and general manager. Here’s what he had to say with text via Matt Borelli of LakersNation.com.

"“There’s a lot of crossover because at the end of the day when you’re an agent, you know you’re only going to represent a guy or two in the draft so you’re having to be very selective where you invest your time. I think probably the biggest difference when you’re a GM, a front office person, you’re thinking about the chemistry component. ‘How does Kyle Kuzma fit with our other pieces? How does Josh Hart fit into our overall template.’ Whereas an agent, you’re just trying to pick a player you know is going to make it.”"

While there are certainly a lot of differences between being an agent and a general manager, they both have to be talent evaluators. As a general manager, Pelinka not only has to be able to see players that have talent, but he has to pick players that fit well with what the Lakers are building.

Next: Top 5 games for Kyle Kuzma in 2017-18 season

Since the offseason is here already for the Lakers, Pelinka will be very busy trying to help the Lakers take the next step forward. Pelinka has done a very good job setting the Lakers up for success, and they will need him and the front office to continue them on this path. Even though he came from being an agent before taking over as a general manager, Pelinka has done a very nice job so far for the Lakers. With a big offseason coming, it will be interesting to see what Pelinka can accomplish.