This summer has been a shaky one for Los Angeles Lakers fans, from the euphoric highs of the draft to the crushing lows of watching the top free agents slip away yet again. GM Mitch Kupchak did what he could to salvage things after being spurned (pun intended) by primary target LaMarcus Aldridge, signing veteran value players like Lou Williams and Brandon Bass. He then capped the summer off by trading for slumping two-time All-Star Roy Hibbert in a low-risk, high reward deal with the Pacers. All in all, the topsy-turvy ride finally came a rest somewhere in the middle of the emotional spectrum, with fans marginally content but far from satisfied.
Even though Kupchak’s quick pivoting produced results just when all seemed lost, the overall “meh” feeling regarding the Lakers offseason certainly isn’t what the team was hoping for. For the third summer in a row, they entered into the free agency fray with little to attract top-tier talent, hoping the vaunted Lakers mystique and the glitz and glam of Los Angeles would get the job done.
Unfortunately, times have changed and the city no longer has the gravitational pull it once did. Thanks to the world-shrinking effects of social media, players today feel capable of building their brand just about anywhere. The trappings of Hollywood may still have some pull, but merely as a perk to enhance the primary bait of a winning team, which is something Kupchak is still working on rebuilding.
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For the Lakers, breaking free of the vicious cycle of free agent snubs is a difficult task, but not an impossible one. The new-ish CBA was specifically designed to prevent Los Angeles from reloading through free agency, which means that now they have to do it like everyone else does: by developing young talent. Taking draft picks and turning them into homegrown stars has become one of the most important aspects of roster building in the modern NBA, and the Lakers are in the midst of a conscious push to embrace the new reality.
For better or worse, the future of the Lakers now primarily depends on the growth of three potential stars: Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell. Their ultimate success or failure, and every result in between, will largely determine whether the Lakers return to prominence.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what each player can do to make the leap towards stardom.
BEGIN SLIDESHOW: Clarkson, Randle, Russell Hold Keys To Lakers Future
Jordan Clarkson
During the dog days of the 2014-2015 season, it was the rapid development of Jordan Clarkson that kept (some) Lakers fans tuning in to games that were otherwise unwatchable. As a score-first guard, Clarkson thrived in the high pick-and-roll, where he was able to exploit the current defensive trend of giving up mid-range twos by becoming an efficient scorer from the elbows. His shot chart from last season demonstrates just how deadly his 20-foot game can be in the high pick and roll:
However, if Clarkson is going to reach the next level, he is going to need to expand his range and improve his ability to play off the ball, which means he will have to increase his efficiency from the wings (though his sample size there is admittedly small).
He also shot just 31 percent from three last season, which prevents him from being much of a floor-spacer. If Clarkson can get to respectability, say 35 percent from downtown, it’s going to open up the floor for his sneaky drives to the basket and help create space for Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle to operate.
With D’Angelo Russell in town, Clarkson is also going to need to prove that he can be effective without the ball in his hands. If he can expand his mid-range game to include the ability to come off screens and connect in catch-and-shoot situations (think Rip Hamilton) it’s going to make him that much more deadly, especially with a guy like Russell who can hit him in the right place at the right time:
Defensively, Clarkson needs to continue to get stronger and smarter. He isn’t a bad defender, but understandably last season he showed most of his promise on the offensive end, where he was counted on to carry a bad team. Next season, he will need to become a more reliable team defender and use smart positioning and quick feet to pester some of the larger shooting guards he will find himself matched up against, like Klay Thompson and James Harden.
Clarkson plays with a chip on his shoulder after dropping to the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and if he can follow up his All-Rookie First Team season with another leap forward, he’s going to be a major asset in Los Angeles. While he has drawn some comparisons to Russell Westbrook, a more accurate (and realistic) goal would be Monta Ellis, which wouldn’t a bad thing at all.
CONTINUE SLIDESHOW: Clarkson, Randle, Russell Hold Keys To Lakers Future
Julius Randle
One of the most tragic images from last season is of Julius Randle holding his broken leg and grimacing in pain on the Staples Center floor. In an instant, the highest draft pick the Lakers had selected in 32 years was gone, and even worse, an important opportunity for the development of a young core player was lost. Heading into the 2014-2015 season, Lakers fans were cautiously optimistic about their new prospect, who had spent his lone season at Kentucky using his brute force and athleticism to smash everyone and everything on his way to the rim. While detractors claimed that he was undersized and that his brand of bully ball wouldn’t translate well to the NBA, Randle’s play during preseason was electric enough to have Lakers fans convinced that they had found their power forward of the future, which made his untimely injury all the more dreadful.
From the limited time we have seen Randle on the floor, it’s clear that he has some serious talent. For a player with his size and strength, he is incredibly quick off the dribble, which makes him a nightmare matchup for most fours. He frequently uses his quick first step to get the defender reeling backwards, and then bulldozes them underneath the hoop so they can’t block his shot. It’s a grown-man move, which is impressive to see from a 20 year old. Here he takes Kristaps Porzingis to the basket and has two defenders collapse on him, but uses his strength to finish anyway:
Of course Randle isn’t without his flaws, and in spite of his gifts, he has some real improvements to make before he can be considered a core piece.
While his bread and butter may currently be attacking off the dribble, it’s the development of a consistent jumper that will likely make or break Randle on the offensive end. Like Clarkson, not only will a deadly jumper improve his ability to get to the rim, but it will also free up the rest of the Lakers offense by preventing defenders from sagging off of him to clog the paint.
The development of a few go-to moves with his right hand will similarly be important, as defenders currently anticipate the spin back to his left, making finishing at the rim more difficult than it should be. Randle also needs to be comfortable scoring within the system of an offense rather than relying on isolation plays, but that will come with time.
Defensively, he doesn’t project to be much of a shot blocker, but Randle’s quick feet and strength can eventually make him a plus defender as long as he establishes proper positioning and makes the correct rotations.
To Randle’s benefit, one of the newer trends in the NBA is the playmaking four, which is a power forward who can put the ball on the floor and create for others. Draymond Green is the prime example of this (as was Lamar Odom), and while Randle will probably never have Green’s three-point shooting ability, he could fit into this role very nicely.
Of course, staying healthy should be the prime objective for next season, but Randle has a real chance to be a special player in this league if he can add a little more polish to his smashmouth-style game.
CONTINUE SLIDESHOW: Clarkson, Randle, Russell Hold Keys To Lakers Future
D’Angelo Russell
It has been said that the NBA is currently in a golden age of point guards, with maestros like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook leading a new breed of multifaceted guards. Curry gave validity to this notion when his Golden State Warriors hoisted the championship trophy, but perhaps the greatest indicator of the shift towards guard play was the historically center-centric Lakers selecting guard D’Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor and his enormous hands.
It should be noted, however, that Russell’s selection has more to do with who he is as a player than the position he plays. In a league where spacing, ball movement, and shooting are king, Russell checks all the boxes with elite-level potential.
He can be a wizard with the basketball, using his court vision to deliver passes to teammates before they even realize they are open. The spin and force that he uses to pass the ball were the subject of an ESPN Sport Science investigation; that’s how unique his passing ability is. If guys don’t have their hands up and ready when Russell has the ball they are going to receive free “Spalding” tattoos.
That said, at just 19 years old, Russell still has a lot to learn before he can ascend to the throne of superstardom. Summer League was particularly challenging, and the adjustment to running a team full-time was a jarring one that resulted in a whopping 5.2 turnovers per game. He would deliver a brilliant pass on one play only to turn it over on the next, often trying too hard to thread the needle as though he was attempting to live up to his reputation on every play.
In order to get to the level that the Lakers will ultimately need Russell to be at, he is going to have adapt to the NBA game and learn how to pick his spots. His quickness and athleticism aren’t off the charts, which means that he is going to have to become a master at using his positioning to get past defenders. The training sessions that he has planned with Steve Nash should be a big help in this area.
Like Randle, Russell also needs to work on developing his right hand, both when attacking the basket and passing. He can get by with a dominant left hand, but if he wants to be truly great, he will need to bring the right up to speed.
Defensively, he can get caught ball watching, and needs better awareness overall, but his long wingspan and size (6’5”) help to mitigate his deficiencies. He’s also a fantastic rebounder for a point guard, which helps fuel Jim Buss’ vision of recreating Showtime with Russell or Randle grabbing the board and instantly starting the fast break.
Out of the Lakers young three, the development of D’Angelo Russell has to have the utmost importance. He has the highest ceiling of the group, and his ability to deliver the ball to the right spot at the right time will be a major draw for free agents. He won’t be an All-Star right out of the gates, but the upside that he has is absolutely massive, and if he can fulfill that potential the Lakers will be well on their way to returning to prominence.
The times may be changing, but superstars are still a necessity to win in the NBA. The trouble is that the whales are attracted to winning teams, which creates a paradoxical environment where in order to win in free agency teams first have to win on the court, and in order to win on the court they have to win in free agency.
For teams super-glued to the bottom of the standings that leaves little opportunity for fast-tracked improvement, save for the rare super-friends team up that Miami enjoyed when LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach. The best way out of the cellar is to turn draft picks into stars, build from the ground up, and then use the lure of a winning team to complete the core via free agency. As a great movie once said, if you build it, they will come.
It may not be the reality that the Lakers are used to, but the team is stuck in the mire, and it’s going to be up to young guns Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell to pull them out. Let’s hope they are up to the challenge.