National Basketball Association

Lakers: What Does a Successful 2016-17 Season Look Like?

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

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Now that the preseason has officially started, it’s time to talk about what the 2016-17 season for the Los Angeles Lakers could be.

With new players, a new coaching staff and generally low expectations, the Lakers have plenty to work on. But the good news is they have 82 games in which to make some progress.

LA already won its first preseason game last Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings — in comeback fashion, no less — and there’s no reason to think they can’t win a few more. But when the games start to really matter, the conversation will be much louder when gauging just how much — or how little — this team is progressing.

So let’s take a look at the things that have to go right for the Lakers in order to say they had a successful year.

Culture Change

This is by the far the biggest factor in what could make or break the 2016-17 season for the Lakers. The culture last year has been well-documented as being somewhat toxic with former head coach Bryon Scott’s criticism of D’Angelo Russell, Russell’s secret taping of Nick Young and the team’s third straight season of setting a franchise record in losses.

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Luke Walton has already brought a change in how the team will play, and has also let the team listen to music during practices, something that did not happen last season under Scott.

Walton has said in various interviews that he wants the joy to come back for the players. Listen to music should help, but what will help even more is the team building winning habits, and that starts with the coaching staff.

If Walton and his assistants can get the Lakers’ young players to play the right way consistently, the team will be well on its way to becoming a winning franchise again.

Continue to Develop Young Core

It’s year two for Russell and Larry Nance Jr., year three for Jordan Clarkson, and while it’s technically Julius Randle’s third NBA season, he sat out practically his entire rookie year because of a broken leg.

Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac are rookies, but should see significant playing time this season.

While the numbers of points, rebounds or assists these players should average is important, it’s not as crucial as something much simpler: confidence.

All these young guys are NBA players. They’ll get their stats as long as they have the right opportunities. But each and every player on the Lakers’ young core must show that they’ve grown in confidence on the court. They have to shoot and believe it will go in, drive with purpose and pass with precision.

Most importantly, they have to grow with and support each other. Anything less than those things should be considered a failure.

Win Total

The Lakers won 17 games last year. Seventeen. That’s an awful number, and the lowest in franchise history.

Several factors point to that low win total: Scott’s coaching, Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour, the ineffectiveness of the team’s roster, etc. It can’t get any worse, right?

If everything goes right for the Lakers — players stay healthy, they develop quickly and the team develops an identity — it’s not crazy to think the Lakers will surpass 17 wins.

Now that doesn’t mean they’ll win 50 and make the playoffs. But if LA can muster between 25-30 wins this year, management, the coaches and the players should be proud of that and see it as a step in the right direction for the franchise.

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