National Basketball Association

Lakers Media Day: 3 Takeaways From Monday's Interviews

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

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Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Los Angeles Lakers’ exciting 2016 Media Day

The wait is almost over. Lakers Media Day 2016 gave anxious fans something to nibble on as they desperately await a new season, and more importantly, a new start, for their beloved Purple and Gold.

Expectations are growing for this young squad and their intriguing new coach, and fans had a lot to digest during Monday’s media sessions.

We heard extended interviews from new veteran faces such as Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, peeked into the thoughts of tantalizing new rookie Brandon Ingram, and even got another helping of classic Metta World Peace sound bites.

With so much anticipation for this upcoming Lakers season, let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from the Media Day action.

1. The Lakers’ New Coaching Staff is Already Paying Dividends

Luke Walton has yet to (technically) head coach a single career game in the NBA, but his personable demeanor and flexible coaching style is already rubbing off on the Lakers’ young core. D’Angelo Russell has been quick to praise his new leader and has alluded multiple times to the contrast between Walton’s approachability and Byron Scott’s no nonsense way of business.

But Russell is far from the only young player appreciative of their new locker room boss.

Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. both mentioned the positive energy surrounding Walton and the new coaching staff, while Julius Randle discussed the differences he’s already noticed from last season.

More from Lake Show Life

According to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times, he said, “The energy, the vibe is different… Everybody is just enjoying each other. The game is starting to become fun again.”

Walton himself also talked about the joyous energy around this group of teammates. “This is beautiful,” he said. “This is why we wanted to go away for training camp. Start the bonding, start the togetherness, start the brotherhood.”

While a happy heart can only get you so far in the NBA, Walton has certainly been creating optimism on the hardwood as well, often participating in drills with his teammates and spicing up practices with games and competitions.

Luke Walton is running 5-on-5 with his young Lakers, and “still killing us,” Tarik Black says https://t.co/hlg015AQqS pic.twitter.com/R2vYR7s1uM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 23, 2016

We’ve got a month until Walton makes his official coaching debut, but he’s certainly gotten his tenure off to a good start.

Sep 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Zach Auguste (29), guardd Anthony Brown (3) and forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) pose for a selifie at media day at Toyota Sports Center.. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. The Young Guys are Focusing on Physicality and Defense

When you think of last season’s Lakers’ defense, a few words might immediately pop into your head: Terrible. Awful. Dead Last. Really terrible. What defense?

Well, apparently, you’re not alone because the team’s young core seems universally focused on improving in that field. Jordan Clarkson, one of the most egregious offenders of last season’s defensive stench, repeatedly stressed the important of improvement in that area during his interview on Time Warner Cable Sportsnet:

I think I’m right there, we were all pretty terrible defensively last year. I sucked defensively last year, no lie. The proof is in the numbers. It’s in your chest and in your stomach, I worked a lot on it this summer.

Russell, too, emphasized the need to improve on that end of the floor, citing a conversation he had with Randle.

The more we come together on defense, and wanna make plays, the easier it will be on offense – @Dloading (via @SpectrumSN)

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) September 26, 2016

While they certainly have a mountain to climb in order atone for last season’s defensive impotence, its encouraging to see the team’s young talent intent on sharpening their skills.

With the addition of Ingram on the perimeter and Mozgov down low, this year’s squad is well equipped to show marked improvement in that area.

3. This Team’s Development is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

The absence of Kobe Bryant marks the official beginning of the Lakers’ rebuilding and rebranding, but progress is going to come slowly. Despite all the encouraging signs from this offseason, Walton and company have a very young, very raw team whose potential will need forged by NBA experience. And that means growing pains.

After all the pomp and circumstance during Monday’s Media Day festivities, nothing stood out more than the youth of this team’s foundation. With three key roster pieces under the age of 21 and nearly half the training camp roster under the age of 25, the Lakers’ will need to learn quite a bit before they find themselves anywhere near championship contention.

Bryant’s departure leaves a legend-sized hole to fill, both on the score sheet and among the NBA community. Considering no Laker eclipsed a 16-point scoring average during last season’s 17-win effort, both challenges may prove equally difficult.

The good news? These young guys have A TON of potential and coach Walton seems willing to give them the confidence and freedom the need to succeed, especially Russell.

Walton understands the challenges ahead, and wants to approach them in away that’s best for his maturing team:

You need to grow from making mistakes and learning how to do it better the next time. We’re going to try to do that as a group.

With training camp finally here and the regular season just one month away, we’re that much closer to following our Purple and Gold on their exciting new journey.

(4. Nick Young is STILL Here)

Seriously. Why is he still here?

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