When you talk about the Lakers being good, you mention Kobe Bryant. That’s how the last 20 years went on media day for the LA Lakers camp. Not anymore, the Black Mamba is retired and the Lakers are looking for the next face of their franchise. More than likely, that will be NO. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Brandon Ingram.
I would say that the Los Angeles Lakers have a group of young talented men that can win. Their team is super excited about the upcoming season. They have a new coach and a few veterans that will help win a couple of games along the way. The energy D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram had on media day would explain life without Bryant. They talked about how the vibe around their camp is completely different. The media use to surround Kobe because of his popularity and of course, his greatness. There were few chances for other players that didn’t get much attention, such as Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell. That wasn’t the case this year. This season the attention will be on them and with that, they most win games to keep LA alive.
One of my biggest questions is can they win more than 40 games this season. Last year they only won 17 games. That’s something I didn’t think I would ever see happen to the Lakers. People love the Lakers, they’re like the Dallas Cowboys. Like, why do we embrace these teams? Maybe it’s the environment or the popularity of the state. Who knows, but what I do know is there will be a new star in LA and if Luke Walton can coach as good as we think the Golden State Warrior were during his time there when Steve Kerr was out. Maybe the Lakers can do it.
Great things tend to happen in 3’s, right? OK, Steve Kerr won a championship with Golden State as a rookie head coach. Tyron Lue technically won as a rookie head coach. Luke Walton doesn’t have Stephen Curry or LeBron James, yeah, I know that too. So if something great could evolve from this situation. I would say they will win roughly 47 games and people will start to say the Lakers will be good again.
Luke Walton’s evaluated the team at camp after the first practice. “It was obviously a little sloppy at times, but it’s day one with putting a lot of new stuff in. a big emphasis on defense today, but guys gave a great effort. They worked hard. It was a hot gym. I think we got some good stuff in.”
Does that sound like a coach who thinks his team can win 50 plus games? Absolutely not, Luke sounded more like this to me. “Man, we’re terrible. We’re definitely not Golden State. Hold up, did I really leave Golden State and they just signed Kevin Durant? Wow, I messed up. I can take what I have and apply that with the Lakers and we’ll manage this year. Thankfully, it’s only day one.” That’s more of what I thought he wanted to say.
I’m not a Laker hater, let’s get that out of the way. I’m not a fan either. I like some of the players and I win on Draft Kings with Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell every now and again. That’s about it. What I do hate is my main man Dwight Howard didn’t get a ring with Kobe Bryant, but that’s another story.
I’m intrigued by the Lakers roster. They do have some nice young talent and Luke Walton needs to play Nick (Swaggy P) Young. The guy can play some ball, Luke. Don’t be like Byron Scott. Young did his thing when Kobe Bryant got hurt and after he came back, Swaggy P disappeared. I think Young has the potential to be a top contender for the Six Man award.
One of my main concerns is that the Lakers are starting Brandon Ingram’s rookie career on the bench. Some will say, he will work his way into the starting lineup. I’m one of the people saying, start him now. Look at it this way, he’s the 2nd overall pick in the NBA draft. The Lakers won 17 games last season so what do they have to lose? More games? Ha, that’s about all you can say. So why don’t they start him? I looked at it from an organization standpoint on developing Ingram’s overall game and physique. That I can agree with. That’s probably the main reason they brought in veteran forward Luol Deng to guide Ingram along the way.
Brandon Ingram looked good in the Summer League. He has major upside and I think this kid has what it takes to be a superstar in the NBA. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor. The way he can take you off the dribble and attack the rim is amazing. People are saying he is the next Kevin Durant. I didn’t think his jumper was like that until I watched him in summer league. Then, I knew. I said, this kid's jumper is on point. The Lakers got something with Brandon Ingram.
