The Los Angeles Lakers are embarking on a season with several questions and very few answers. L.A. went into the off-season with their entire front court entering free agency. After their worst season since moving to Los Angeles (27-55), they landed the seventh pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.
The Lakers selected power forward Julius Randle with the seventh pick; their highest draft choice since drafting forward James Worthy number one overall in the 1982 NBA Draft. The team went swinging for the fences in free agency this off-season and struck out, failing to land one of the top available free agents.
L.A. signed shooting guard Kobe Bryant to a two-year deal worth $48.5 million over the course of the contract, allowing him to maintain his status as the league’s highest-paid player. In free agency the Lakers landed veteran power forward Carlos Boozer and guard Jeremy Lin; re-signed guards Nick Young, Xavier Henry and power forwards Jordan Hill and Ed Davis. The purple and gold lost veterans Pau Gasol, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar, Kendall Marshall and Cris Kaman.
The Los Angeles Lakers goal every year is to earn a berth in the playoffs and compete for a championship. Head coach Byron Scott is tasked with leading the purple and gold back to respectability by competing at a championship level and establishing an identity on both ends of the court. He must provide definitive roles for players, find out if Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Ryan Kelly are future franchise players and return the team to playing NBA defense. The players must be held accountable and the fan base needs to be re-invigorated. According to Las Vegas odds-makers, the Lakers are 70-to-1 to win the NBA Title this season and 33-to-1 to win the Western Conference. Surprisingly the Lakers’ odds are better than both the Phoenix Suns’ (100-to-1) and the Sacramento Kings’ (250-to-1), matching the Utah Jazz for the honor of highest odds in the NBA.
The Western Conference will be an all out war and making the playoffs will be an uphill climb. All eight of last year’s playoff teams either got better this off-season or stood pat. In order for the Lakers to land the eighth spot, everyone has to remain healthy; Kobe Bryant needs to play 60+ games, everyone has to excel at their given roles, the young players need to play well enough to become factors and, even if the Lakers buy into Coach Scott’s defensive mantra, the purple and gold will have to finish the season as a top-15 defensive team.
Bryant’s game has changed, but the Black Mamba will still score 20+ points per game and hand out six assists. Boozer should provide 17 points and nine rebounds, although he and Steve Nash have never been known for their defense. The health of Bryant, Steve Nash and Boozer are all elements that will largely dictate the Lakers success this season. It is imperative that they stay healthy to compete because the purple and gold lost an absurd 319 games to injury last season. They have several players on one-year deals… a good or bad proposition depending on how that player handles the situation.
L.A. has already taken hits in the health department this pre-season with Young, last season’s leading scorer who was forced out of the line-up for two months after surgery for an injured thumb. Clarkson has a sprained calf and is also out of the line-up for one week.
The Lakers have a good mix of veterans and young players on the roster. They have depth at both the power forward and center positions. Coach Scott utilizes the Princeton offensive system — similar to the triangle offense — that doesn’t need a traditional point guard to dominate the ball.
The Princeton offense is a read-based offense that uses guards for ball handling, initiating the offense as well as scoring. The Lakers will mix in the this system with classic and traditional NBA sets. They will also shoot a lot less three-pointers this season. The head coach has made playing defense a priority and, unlike last season, has the team practicing defense in every practice. Also unlike last year, the Lakers will make it a point to keep the ball out of the painted area and have a plan on how to defend the pick and roll play. A solid defensive team has athletic wing defenders and a rim protector.
The players that could fill those roles are Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry as wing defenders. Johnson is athletic and talented enough to become the Lakers’ best wing defender. Ed Davis is the best player for the role as the rim protector playing as a center. Due to the depth and flexibility on the roster, the Lakers could be a good defensive team and their defense and overall play will be on display a lot. The purple and gold are scheduled to play 28 nationally televised games this season.