A mid-season addition after being waived by the Houston Rockets, Tarik Black was a major part of the Los Angeles Lakers stretch run and showed a lot of potential as a high-energy big man.
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After finishing a very solid rookie season, Black spoke at his exit interview about his time with the Lakers, and feels like he has found a home in Los Angeles according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
Tarik Black said "100 percent I feel like I found a home here."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 16, 2015
Black really came into his own down the stretch of the season, starting a number of games at center. According to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, however, he does think of himself as more of a power forward:
"I want to play power forward" – Tarik Black "I have some tools – I can play 5" Likes being able to play multiple positions -wants to be a 4
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) April 16, 2015
Regardless of the position, Black has shown enough this season that he will almost definitely be with the team next year as the organization feels he has plenty of potential to grow into a major contributor for the team. He said that he has heard comparisons of himself to the likes of Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace which would be outstanding if he could get to that level.
Players like Black, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle look to be the beginning of a new young core for the Lakers that will help the team regain its place as a contender in the NBA and Black sounds like he wants to be here for the process.
[divide]Lakers Rookie Tarik Black Has Career-High 19 Rebounds