National Basketball Association

Lakers: 10 Reasons to Be Excited for the 2016-17 Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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On the eve of Opening Night for the Lakers, we take a look at 10 reasons why fans should be excited for the 2016-17 campaign

The preseason has finally come to a close and the Los Angeles Lakers have yet another shot to prove their doubters wrong.

This week represents a fresh start for every NBA team, but none seem more excited to get going than the Purple and Gold. After finishing with back-to-back worst seasons in franchise history, it appears the only place to go from here is up.

Further, despite ending the preseason with a less than stellar record of two wins and six losses, the team did more than enough to get fans hyped for what is to come.

Starting with life after Kobe Bryant to D’Angelo Russell’s red shirt freshman campaign, here are 10 reasons why fans should be excited for the 2016-17 NBA season.

10. Moving On from the Mamba

As much as fans will deny it, watching Kobe Bryant last season was similar to watching Tiger Woods over the past few years. Having grown so used to their dominance, seeing both men become a shell of their former selves was almost unbearable to watch.

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However, after going out in classic Kobe fashion, finishing his storied career with a bang, next season will be a guilt-free breathe of fresh air.

No longer will we have to worry about the Kobe Bryant Farewell Tour, or one of the men who enabled it.

9. Bye Bye Byron

Some believe that criticizing Byron Scott the coach takes away from what he accomplished as a player, but that’s not the case at all. Often times great players make awful coaches, just ask Magic Johnson.

This season the Lakers will finally be able to embrace the new age of basketball, one they should have started striving towards last season. Even with the Lakers’ most recent strange decision to keep Metta World Peace over Anthony Brown, the team is already off to a better start than the Byron Era.

8. Hello Luke

Luke Walton has already done a great job gaining the respect of his locker room and the comments from his players speak directly to this.

Simply by watching the new look Lakers, it is readily apparent that the offense is already flowing a whole lot more than last season even with minimal practice time. I think I’ve seen the team set more screens and run more plays in preseason than they ran all of last year.

Luke is determined to bring the success he found up in the Bay down to Los Angeles and he seems to have the pieces to do just that.

7. The Rebirth of Showtime

There will never be another team like the Showtime Lakers, but teams will be damned if they don’t try.

Armed with an impressive young floor general, a healthy combination of slashing and shooting guards and athletic bigs who can run the floor, the Purple and Gold are primed and ready to show out in the open court… That is, if they are willing to buy in on the defensive end of the floor.

But based on what we’ve seen through their short preseason campaign, the team should be well on their way with more time to gain familiarity with their new coach and his defensive schemes.

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to wear Magic Johnson era throwbacks from the 1980s at some point this season. ???? pic.twitter.com/CYqCf7YFZu

— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) October 23, 2016

6. Throwback Nights

And speaking of Showtime, it was recently announced that the Lakers will be wearing their throwback uniforms at some point during the season and if that doesn’t get you excited I don’t know what will.

5. Uncle P

I know what you may be thinking, “Excited… for Nick Young,” but hear me out.

After last season, it was widely assumed that the gunslinger was on his way out of Los Angeles and maybe even the NBA after his contract was up.

However, to nearly everyone’s surprise, the man formerly known as Swaggy P has been playing his tail off, even earning himself a spot on the team’s final roster. This begins to make more sense when you consider the insane contracts players are receiving these days, but regardless the effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.

I’m a sucker for a good comeback story, so the prospect of Young rejuvenating his career a la J.R. Smith is something to be hyped about.

4. The Rise of Brandon Ingram

With first overall pick, Ben Simmons set to miss a prolonged amount of time with a foot injury, the spotlight now turns to second overall pick, Brandon Ingram.

Similar to teammate D’Angelo Russell, Ingram got out to a molasses slow start in Summer League, showing glimpses of stardom throughout the preseason including a 21 point, 7 rebound performance against none other than his idol, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.

It’s not everyday that you run into a 6’10 player who moves as fluidly as he does on and off the ball who also possesses all the intangibles on defensive end of the floor. Ingram is fully capable of earning his spot in the starting lineup and expect him to do so sooner rather than later.

3. Junior Year for Julius Randle…

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The story line for last year technically being Julius Randle’s rookie season is long and played out. After having a full season under his belt, Randle’s third year in the league is his chance to prove his doubters wrong.. and believe me, he has a ton of them even among the Lakers’ faithful.

However, even his critics are more than willing to accept that they were wrong, if only Randle can show that he’s more than just a bully who has a nose for grabbing the rebounds.

Having been hard on Randle for the entirety of his NBA tenure, I still believe that he has what it takes to do just that, but only time will tell.

2. And Jordan Clarkson

In regards to Clarkson, if he is more aggressive on the court, in all senses of the word, he has a chance to carve out a role for himself and be a formidable combo guard for years to come… hopefully along side BFF, D’Angelo Russell.

1. Redshirt Freshman, D’Angelo Russell

NBA scouts are hopping back on the D’Angelo Russell bandwagon, so don’t be surprised when the sophomore guard breaks out in what scouts have deemed his “redshirt freshman” year.

With last year behind him, Russell looks to take the league by storm though fans shouldn’t expect him to make this transition from college sophomore to mature leader overnight.

Already showing glimpses of what he promised would happen last season in Summer League and the preseason, count on D’Loading to be in the running for the Most Improved Player Award next season.

What else are you excited for this upcoming NBA campaign? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @TheLakeShowLife and @ericdyee.

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