Draft Day is now in the books, and the Los Angeles Lakers have three newest members of the squad. Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell (2nd), Wyoming forward Larry Nance Jr. (27th) and Stanford shooting guard Anthony Brown (34th) offer a wide range of services as a collective, which is quite important for a squad with needs pretty much everywhere. Obviously, there will be plenty more reaction in the coming days, but here are four immediate thoughts that come to mind.
BEGIN SLIDESHOW: Four Takeaways From The Lakers’ 2015 NBA Draft Night
1) The Lakers appear a team of the present, and that’s a good thing.
I recently raised the question of whether the Lakers are a team too caught up in “that’s the way we’ve always done it” to thrive in the modern world. The potential dark side of unparalleled success is that you can become a prisoner to the formula that fueled those glory days, and I’ve been periodically concerned about the Lakers’ unwillingness to break from the tried and true. A resistance towards analytics (particularly from Byron Scott, who’s been outright dismissive of them.) A myopic focus on landing stars first, rather than building a legit infrastructure that might actually attract a star. Hiring a head coach whose Showtime ties arguably outweighed his coaching credentials. And quite frankly, a stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge that the league has changed. The new CBA doesn’t give the Lakers the same advantages with outspending competitors. The NBA’s global presence, combined with social media connectivity, has made playing in L.A. far less mandatory to be seen. These shifts demand that even an 800 lb. gorilla like the Lakers roll with the new.
As the saying goes, adapt or die.
But upon selecting Russell, the Lakers acknowledged a league predicated more on guard-play, spacing and speed than their big man tradition. To be clear, they didn’t select a point guard purely to march the current direction. Had they felt Jahlil Okafor was the best available player, a choice to zig in the face of much zagging would have been made. The Lakers insist Russell’s superior talent prompted this selection, and I tend to believe them. But it’s nonetheless reassuring to see their own convention occasionally bucked, which I don’t think has been their strong suit over the last few seasons.
CONTINUE SLIDESHOW: Four Takeaways From The Lakers’ 2015 NBA Draft Night
2) D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers seem quite mutually fond of each other
With each approaching hour, chatter had been building about the Lakers leaning towards Russell over Okafor. Many (myself included) wondered if this was a smoke screen meant to induce some goodies from the Sixers (who apparently will never have a point guard) in exchange for swapping slots. But come Draft Day, it started feeling like a real possibility that the Lakers were going small, especially after seeing phrases like “star” and “charisma” pop up in reports. Upon addressing the media after calling Russell’s name, Mitch Kupchak and Byron Scott upped those antes on the record.
Per Baxter Holmes, ESPNLA.com:
“Am I going to say that we selected [Russell] because we think that’s the direction this league and this game is going? I don’t think that’s the case. You still need quality big men in this league, and if any of those players in the wall were available, we would’ve selected them. But they weren’t. So our choices were what they were and we’re very happy to have D’Angelo be a Laker.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott said Russell reminded him of his former Lakers backcourt mate Johnson.
“Just watching him in 3-on-3 [situations], the way he commanded guys to do certain things — the last guy that I saw that that I played with was [Magic Johnson] … and he did that in 3-on-3 with guys that he didn’t know,” Scott said. “So obviously we’re anxious to see what he can do in 5-on-5 with guys that he’s going to play with on a regular basis.”
Scott said Russell is also “on the level” of another point guard that he coached in the NBA: Clippers All-Star Chris Paul.
Beyond whatever skills Russell brings to the table, it’s easy to see how the Lakers would be attracted to his general aura. Talking with the guard after his first workout in El Segundo, I was very impressed with his presence, which struck me as the perfect blend of grounded confidence. He reiterated a belief about being the best player in the draft, but said so in a way that didn’t come off as unearned arrogance. And there’s definitely an obvious, easily marketed charisma, a quality the Lakers happen to be exceptional at marketing. Whether Russell can reach true star status remains to be seen, but he definitely projects a star quality, and that’s potentially enticing for the franchise and fans alike.
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that he seems very geeked at the prospect of being a Laker. Always a plus.
CONTINUE SLIDESHOW: Four Takeaways From The Lakers’ 2015 NBA Draft Night
3) Kobe Bryant could spend a lot of time at small forward.
It would be horribly presumptuous of Russell to walk into training camp assuming he’s a starter. For that matter, Jordan Clarkson’s strong rookie season isn’t enough for laurel-resting when it comes to the first five. But truth be told, save an unexpected acquisition, at least of these guys is a strong bet to start, and a Russell-Clarkson backcourt is hardly difficult to imagine. And considering Kobe is actually a lock to start, that could slide him to small forward, which might be the best setup for the aging, increasingly fragile icon. His defensive matchups, while not necessarily easier, will at least generally require less foot speed, which will be a major relief to those 37 year-old legs. (Honestly speaking, unless his offensive load is seriously reduced, age and attrition will likely render Kobe a minus-defender regardless of matchup. But every little bit helps.) And offensively, Bryant will be in continual attack mode, with two players available to help with ball-handling responsibilities and set him up in spots where he can do the most efficient damage.
Plus, it should be noted, Kobe may be the greatest shooting guard of his era, but he LOVES playing small forward. Always has. Always will. Thus, should a young backcourt shift Bryant to the wing, you won’t likely hear any complaints.
CONTINUE SLIDESHOW: Four Takeaways From The Lakers’ 2015 NBA Draft Night
4) If Jim Buss is going down, he’s going down on his own terms.
Whether you like the Russell pick (I do… a lot) or hate it (many inevitably will), one’s thing’s for certain: This was not the “safe” pick. That would have been Okafor. And after publicly (and if you ask Jeanie Buss, unnecessarily) putting himself on the clock to turn this franchise around or walk out the door, combined with the stakes attached to this pick, nobody would have blamed Buss if he erred on the side of “cover your arse.” Instead, he put his neck on the line. Make no mistake. Should Russell make a slow adjustment to the NBA (or worse, not adjust at all), this decision will hound Buss for as long as he remains a purple and gold shot caller. Clearly, he’s not afraid of such consequences, and there’s definitely something to admire about that.
(For that matter, Nance at 27 represents a reach in the eyes of many draftniks, who pegged the forward as a second round talent. Which isn’t to say the pick was necessarily misused. Nance actually checks off several boxes for the Lakers, most notably defense, athleticism and shooting, and if he pans out, all’s well that ends well. But there will be heads scratched with this call. Mitch had a pretty bad ass line when asked by the media about potentially reaching on Nance. We’ll see what happens, but either way, it’s another example of aggressive dice-rolling.)
All in all, ‘twas a fun, exciting and – in my opinion – productive night for the Lakers. Clearly, there’s work still to be done, but I think fans can reasonably exhale a bit as July 1 and free agency approaches for a new round of insanity.
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