1. The Inexperience of the Young Core
Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are all extremely talented young men (as was Julius Randle, who surprisingly was not re-signed as a free agent). They just might be the best players not named LeBron on the Lakers roster.
Each of them will undoubtedly improve their performances over last year. Specifically:
• Ingram seems ready to become the Lakers second-best player. After averaging 16.1 points last year, he is a decent bet to exceed 20 this season. More importantly, as he continues to fine-tune his natural ability, he’ll stay on track to become one of the league’s best all-around players.
• Ball’s shooting difficulties last year were well-chronicled. It’s safe to assume he will improve this year. The biggest question is how much? Meanwhile, he excelled in all other aspects of the game, and with his high basketball IQ, will be even more effective this season.
• Kuzma was a very pleasant surprise last year. Although his minutes might decline (more on that later), he should be able to approach if not surpass last season’s 16.1 PPG. He displayed a wide array of shots as a rookie, and by all accounts is working hard this offseason to be even better.
• Hart’s improvement after the All-Star break last season fell a bit under the radar, but he showed in Summer League that he has the necessary tools to be a very good NBA player.
But collectively, the core four has only 5 years of professional experience, and not one of them has played even a minute in the NBA postseason. It is rare enough for a team that failed to qualify for the postseason one year to win the title the next. With 4 key inexperienced players, it is unprecedented.