– Become a starter
After a strong rookie season for Hart, his goals should be set higher coming into his second season. As we mentioned, Hart had a really strong summer league and has proven that he is a very hard worker and a player that is improving.
As a late-round pick, Hart was never going to be a starter from day one with the Lakers last season. However, he was able to showcase his talent and work ethic to work his way into the rotation.
In his second season, a goal of Hart should be to crack the starting rotation. While he appears like he has the talent to do so, he is going to have a lot of competition to get in the starting five. Most likely, Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope will be the starting shooting guard for the Lakers. Caldwell-Pope was re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason, and he started a majority of the games for the Lakers last season.
Even though Hart might not be a starter at the beginning of the season, it is something that he can achieve as the season goes on. If Hart is outperforming KCP, there is no reason why Luke Walton won’t make changes to the starting lineup to get one of his talented young players in there.