The Los Angeles Lakers made a series of moves consistent with their grand vision for the franchise, departing with difficult scenarios in order to improve the overall roster. The front office duo of Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson have steered this franchise in the right direction, with a clear vision and optimism around the organization.
With a revamped starting lineup and bench unit, the Lakers are fully focused on escaping the previous season’s expectations of a lottery finish, as they gear up to make a playoff run. With Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram expected to make leaps and bounds this season, the young core should flourish alongside them and take huge steps in their development.
At the same time, veterans like Brook Lopez, Andrew Bogut, and Corey Brewer can add a gritty demeanor to the roster, while also providing lessons to learn from on the way.
The Lakers kicked off their annual Media Day on Monday, providing reporters and fans a first look at the roster heading into the 2017-18 campaign, and one of Pelinka’s first statements was that he expects his team to have a hungry attitude on the court each and every night, via Serena Winters of Lakers Nation:
Rob Pelinka: "Young, scrappy and hungry. That is the identity of this Lakers team going into this season." #Lakers
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 25, 2017
Head coach Luke Walton, who is focused on defense this upcoming training camp, understands his roster and what their strengths are. With a rather young roster, the Lakers should have no trouble conforming to Walton’s up-tempo pace, especially with Ball running the show. Teammates have already raved about Ball, with a basketball IQ and ability to pass the ball that has been consistently compared to future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd.
Pelinka and Johnson have thus far made all the right moves to assemble a competitively balanced roster that is all about the greater good of the team. While only time will tell how this season will progress, the front office feels like a consistent, scrappy attitude will do wonders for this team.