Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons to feel optimistic about the future

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The young cores mental make-up and work ethic

Fame comes with many perks, but it also comes with pressure. Why do you think so many famous actors and musicians become alcoholics, get addicted to prescription drugs, or even worse, start sniffing things through their noses?

Is it because they just like to party? No. That’s too surface level. Dig deeper and you’ll see that these famous celebrities turn to mind-altering chemicals as a coping mechanism from all of the stress they feel.

NBA players also have to endure the pressure that fame brings and unfortunately many very talented basketball players crash and burn when they start to face the daily scrutiny that comes with playing in the NBA.

There are many examples of extremely gifted lottery picks who come into the NBA and after a few years of enduring the weight of their notoriety, find themselves without a contract or at the end of the bench.

Here’s a list of just a few of the top draft picks who never found success in the NBA:

During the offseason, rich NBA players can find many ways to blow off steam and unwind after the long intense season. Many players party, travel or have a nice relaxing vacation.

Some of the players, though, feel the pressure from the season and they soak it in and smile at it. They welcome the strain and it becomes part of them. These players don’t rest once the season is over, they keep working. These are the men who separate themselves from the pack.

In today’s NBA a player can’t be considered a superstar unless he plays on both sides of the court (except for James Harden, who might be the best offensive player to ever play the game). All players love to score, so almost all NBA players work on their offensive repertoire when they have time. The defense is another story altogether.

If a player wants to become a great defender, he must grind in the offseason. That means he has to push himself by lifting weights to get stronger. He must also stay in great shape so that he doesn’t tire on defense. Finally, he must increase his foot speed so that he can stay in front of his assignment. These things are not fun, but the great players suck it up and get to work to become elite.

Much has been made of Lou Williams and Kemba Walker’s play this season, but if one takes a closer look at their statistics it becomes clear that while they excelled on offense, their defense was so bad that neither made as much of an overall impact as they could have.

Lou Williams is 6’1″, 175 pounds and he finished the year with a -3.12 defensive real plus-minus rating, good for 113th out of 115 shooting guards. Kemba Walker is 6’1″, 184 pounds, and he finished the year ranked 80th out of 102 point guards in defensive real plus-minus.

The consensus around the league is that both players are too small to play excellent defense, but that’s not true.

Chris Paul’s 6-feet, 175 pounds, but he was the best defender in the league at his position, with a 2.20 defensive real-plus minus rating. Stephen Curry’s 6-3, 190 pounds and he also ended the year as a good defensive point guard. He was 14th out of 102 point guards in defensive real plus-minus.

All four point guards have similar heights and weights. The difference between them is that Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are renowned for their offseason workouts. Both have worked tirelessly throughout their careers to add core strength and leg power to their bodies, while also staying in excellent shape so that they could become great defenders and superstars.

Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Kyle Kuzma are similar to Chris Paul and Stephen Curry in the way they approach the offseason. All three members of the Lakers young core put in the work necessary in the offseason, to become great all-around players

Last summer Brandon Ingram spent the offseason working on his ball-handling skills, mid-range game, and finishing technique with Micah Lancaster, one of the best basketball trainers in the world, which was the fun part. He also hit the gym every day adding muscle and he kept up his excellent conditioning.

During the summer before the 2018-2019 season, Kyle Kuzma was a staple at the Lakers practice facility. By all accounts he worked harder than any other Lakers player, putting up thousands of mid-range shots and learning new post-moves. He didn’t rest once his offensive preparations were finished; instead, he bulked up in the Lakers weight room and worked on his footwork.

Lonzo Ball was recovering from a knee injury last offseason, but he still went to the Lakers practice facility nearly every day to lift weights.

Lakers fans should feel optimistic about Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram because they are all mentally sound. None of the Lakers young core has ever faced any legal problems and instead of finding unhealthy ways to deal with the pressure of playing for the Lakers, they handle their stress in the best way imaginable: by working as hard as possible on offense and defense during the offseason.

Ball, Kuzma, and Ingram are trying to become as good as Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, if they keep putting in work during their vacations they might get there.

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