With their latest loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen to 9-32 at the halfway point of the season. With the playoffs out of reach barring a massive turnaround, the young Lakers could see an increase in minutes together if head coach Byron Scott is to be believed.
Currently the Lakers start two players, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, who are either rookies or second-year players, but there are others who could be in line for a bigger role.
According to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, Scott suggested that the Lakers young core could see more minutes together:
Asked Byron Scott if we will continue to see more minutes from the young players together as occurred tonight. In short, he said yes.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 15, 2016
The obvious names coming off the bench for the Lakers right now are D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. The team also has second-round pick Anthony Brown who has been solid since entering the rotation, as well as Tarik Black who looked very good in his first extended action this season.
The Lakers aren’t ready to compete with the top teams in the NBA this season, but the team does have a lot of promising players. Russell, Randle, and Clarkson could be potential All-Stars, but the other young prospects could be valuable role players as well as they simply need the opportunity to prove themselves.
Despite their record, the Lakers do have a promising young core and if they can develop them this year, it could pay major dividends next season. Veterans such as Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert, and Brandon Bass may have to sacrifice minutes to make it happen, but it would probably be worth it for the future of the franchise.