The Long Road Ahead

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With roughly a quarter of the 2015-2016 NBA season in the books, the Los Angeles Lakers have unofficially been eliminated from postseason contention. The Lakers record of 3-21 is a harsh reality of the current state of this once proud franchise as they’ve now been reduced to the role of a rebuilding on looker as the Western Conference is very difficult to navigate. The Lakers have yet to win two games in a row this NBA season while they were on the wrong side of the ledger for the only victory by the Philadelphia 76ers this year. The Lakers have an aging superstar in shooting guard Kobe Bryant leading the way for them while they are attempting to develop a pair of youngsters in power forward Julius Randle and point guard D’Angelo Russell. And whereas the folks in Los Angeles want positive results for the Lakers, this team still has a ways to go before they can once again re-join the NBA’s elite.

There has been pressure on Russell since the 2015 NBA Draft. Russell was the second overall pick of the draft by the Lakers which is a position that is typically reserved for players that can come in and immediately be impact players. Through 24 games, Russell is averaging 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per contest. Russell is only 19-years of age, and his case hasn’t been helped since players who were drafted after him such as Sixers center Jahlil Okafor and New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis have shown better production. But even though that Okafor and Porzingis play in big markets with fan bases that want results, the spotlight is still on Russell being that he is the starting point guard for the Lakers.

D’Angelo Russell

Russell has been thrown into the fire immediately and that is not something that is very easy. Russell has had to guard the likes of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, and Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. And whereas each of these players have at least been a member of one NBA All-Star team, Russell has also had to deal with keeping Bryant happy while also gaining the trust of Scott which is not easy. Every story of a superstar in the NBA didn’t start out great as there can be some growing pains, and for the Lakers and their fans, they must display patience with the young Russell.

Randle was the Lakers first round pick in 2014 and he made total sense for them use the seventh overall selection on him due to the fact that he was the best player available. But a broken right tibia in the Lakers season opener last year ended Randle’s season and thus this is now his de facto rookie season. Randle is leading the team in rebounds this season with 9.3 per game and he has 10 double-doubles to his credit as he is showing to be a building block in Los Angeles.

Byron Scott

However last week, Scott decided to have Russell and Randle come off of the bench and the youngsters have responded to it. The Lakers lost the past Wednesday to the Minnesota Timberwolves by the score of 123-122, but in the game Randle had 20 points and 12 rebounds while Russell went for 23 points. And what we’ve seen recently from Bryant is a player that in the twilight of his playing career has now embraced taking the young Russell under his wing; to the point that Bryant decided to remain on the bench this past Wednesday late in the game in order to allow the young Lakers to figure in out which they are beginning to.

Mitch Kupchak has been the Lakers general manager since 2003 and he has seen his fair share of high and lows with the organization that has included a pair of NBA Championships. But his best course of action right now is to continue to build the Lakers roster through the NBA Draft which is something that is unheard of with this franchise. The Lakers have not made the playoffs since the passing of their longtime owner Dr. Jerry Buss in 2013. The Lakers have been run by his children (Jeannie and Jim) who haven’t always been on the same page which has had a trickle down effect on the team. The Lakers have employed five different head coaches since 2011 while they’ve missed out on the top talent in free agency which is unheard of for the purple and gold. But Bryant’s eminent retirement could change that due to the fact that the Lakers recent struggles in free agency can be traced back to the fact that most NBA players are not open to the notion of playing alongside him as he is known to be very demanding. And along with the young talent that the Lakers are assembling through the NBA Draft, they appear to once again be building a foundation.

The Lakers are entering a new realm as this franchise has never missed the NBA Playoffs in three consecutive years, but the team’s motto needs to be “patience” which is something that the folks in Los Angeles don’t like. However this is the new reality for the Lakers and they must simply accept it.

Source: Insidehoops.com

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