Kobe Bryant was the biggest story heading into the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Boston Celtics. After the win, however, everyone was talking about the young core of Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Julius Randle and their performance was not lost on veteran Brandon Bass.
All three of the talented young players had excellent showings in Boston as the Lakers got a huge win against the Celtics.
Afterwards, Bass praised the young players, saying the Lakers will be in good hands when Kobe calls it quits according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Bass on Russell/Randle's performance (on TWC): "It was big. They showed that the Lakers are going to be in good hands after Kobe leaves."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 31, 2015
Games like this are sure to give hope to the Lakers organization and fan base as each player showed why they are so high on them. Clarkson led the team in scoring with 24 points, Randle had another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Russell had an excellent all-around game with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Even though he didn’t have the best game against the Celtics, Larry Nance Jr. has also come on as of late and is proving to be someone worth keeping around as well.
The maturation of these players will be key for the Lakers going forward. Bass believes that they are capable of leading the Lakers once Kobe is gone and that may be the case. Showing the rest of the league what they are capable of could also play a big role in the Lakers landing a free agent, so their growth will continue to be a major factor.