Heading into the matchup against the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers have been playing well, but many expected them to suffer a blowout loss.
However, the Lakers had other plans as they defeated the defending champions convincingly at the Staples Center.
D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson led the way as they combined for 58 of the team’s 112 points. Following the win, Kobe Bryant spoke about the young core and how they have been improving according to Ryan Ward of Examiner:
Kobe Bryant on Lakers’ young core improving: “Things are just starting to click in for them all.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 7, 2016
Kobe on Lakers’ young core: “As they grow, they start trusting that more & more, they start trusting the process more & more.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) March 7, 2016
Since Russell was reinserted into the starting lineup by head coach Byron Scott after All-Star break, the team’s young core has been able to develop chemistry on the floor. While Clarkson has been the team’s most consistent player and Randle is a double-double machine, Russell is on a nice scoring streak. In the past five games, Russell is averaging 22.6 points on nearly 48 percent shooting from the field.
With the young core showing their potential on the court, it bodes well for the future of the franchise as they prepare for the post-Kobe Bryant era. As the Lakers are headed to the draft lottery for the third consecutive season, they will only have a top-three protected pick as a result of the Steve Nash trade in 2012.
