National Basketball Association

Los Angeles Lakers season preview

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

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The NBA season will be here before you know it and FanSided is here to get you ready. In the lead up to Opening Night, we’ll be previewing two teams each day, reviewing roster changes, discussing important players and challenges, and hearing the perspective of our FanSided site experts. Let’s get ready for basketball!

Roster changes

Inputs: Brandon Ingram (SF, NBA Draft pick No. 2); Ivica Zubac (C, NBA Draft pick No. 32); Timofey Mozgov (C, signed for four years, $64 million); Luol Deng (SF, signed for four years, $72 million); Jose Calderon (PG, traded from the Chicago Bulls); Yi Jianlian* (PF, signed for one year, $8 million); Thomas Robinson (PF, signed for one year, $1 million)

Outputs: Kobe Bryant (SG, retired); Robert Sacre (C, signed with New Orleans Pelicans); Roy Hibbert (C, signed with the Charlotte Hornets); Brandon Bass (PF, signed with the Los Angeles Clippers), Ryan Kelly (PF, signed with Atlanta Hawks)

Retained: Jordan Clarkson (SG, signed for four years, $50 million); Tarik Black (PF, signed for two years, $12 million); Marcelo Huertas (PG, signed for two years, $3.3 million); Metta World Peace (SF, signed for one year, $1.5 million)

Most important player

Here’s a hint. He’s got ice in his veins. On a team loaded with young talent, there is only one player that has shown real glimpses of superstar potential on the Los Angeles Lakers. That player is last year’s second overall pick and starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, the face of the Lakers offense this upcoming season and, potentially, the face of the franchise for years to come.

After the Lakers somewhat surprisingly passed on Jahlil Okafor to take Russell in last year’s draft, the hype machine on the Ohio State product, who had the highest upside among rookie guards, lasted all but five months. That’s because Kobe Bryant announced his retirement on Nov. 29, and after that the Lakers shut down shop, switching gears from a barely competitive basketball team to a full-on, Black Mamba retirement tour.

Russell and other key youngsters, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle most notably, took a backseat to the show. With all the focus seemingly off their development, however, the youngsters took the opportunity to actually develop. Clarkson played thirty-plus minutes all-season long, but Randle and Russell had to wait until after the All-Star break when coach Byron Scott finally granted them the uptick in playing time to showcase their skills.

Russell took the opportunity in stride on the court; granted, he still needs to work out issues off the court. He averaged 15.1 points per game and shot 38.9 percent from three after the break, but more than those improving season marks, Russell flashed his big game potential in a handful of star performances. Most notable was the 39 points (8-12 from deep) he dropped on the Nets, but let’s not forget the 21 points, five assists and four steals he recorded in the Lakers’ shocking upset of the Warriors.

Russell is a score-first point guard, make no mistake. By embracing that player profile, his contemporaries will be the likes of Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving, four bonafide NBA superstars. Russell has miles to go before he enters even the Lillard-Irving conversation, but with the talent he possesses, playing under a coach in Luke Walton who will utilize him similarly to Curry, the opportunity is there for Russell to become one of the game’s elite scorers.

Most important addition

The Lakers made an absurd, seemingly never-ending amount of transactions this summer, even into the fall. The most important of them in the long-term is clearly second overall pick Brandon Ingram. He is the only Lakers player with the superstar potential to unseat Russell, providing the Durant-esque upside to compliment D’Angelo’s Curry-esque upside.

On a team that lost Bryant though, there needs to be at least one veteran presence to provide guidance on the floor and in the huddle — a veritable arm around the shoulder of several young shoulders. New small forward Luol Deng can be that guy and in the totally opposite style of Kobe, meaning, he will actually let other players shoot.

While he never averaged 20 points in a season, Deng is a two-time All-Star noted as having one of the best basketball IQs in the league. He was a great defender in his prime, and while the physical skills may have waned, the mental skills are still there. More than just being smart at basketball, Deng seems determined on aiding the development of the young core players, who he has praised for having the same strong work ethic that’s defined his 12-year career.

Having a player on the floor dedicated to making other players better is always a good thing, whether it’s Deng or a lesser role player. On a team with so many new and young pieces coming together, Deng stands out as the one with the best leadership skills. His role will be that of a leader this season, but more importantly, to build leaders out of Russell and Ingram for future seasons.

What does success look like?

— Eric Yee, @TheLakeShowLife, Lake Show Life

The 2016-17 season represents one of first seasons in many years that the expectations of the Lakers’ fan base may actually match up with the reality of the situation. For the Purple and Gold, the mentality has always been “Championship or Bust,” but this season that is no longer the case.
This year, instead of focusing on instant gratification and empty wins, fans seem fully satisfied with the organization’s decision to build a sturdy foundation now to ensure a brighter future tomorrow.

With that in mind, a successful season for the Los Angeles Lakers starts and ends with the development of the team’s young core. Though the team has their fair share of savvy veterans in the fold, the future of the Lakers lies in the hands of five young studs all under the age of 25.
Unlike last year, Los Angeles is already off to a great start, as the coaching staff has clearly prioritized getting better each and everyday, as opposed winning per usual. With tempered expectations, the team has nowhere to go but up, and they will primed to do just that after this very important and exciting season.