National Basketball Association

The Post-Kobe Lakers turn to their youth

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

foxsports

Milestone or millstone? That’s the query haunting Lakerbros everywhere, as this new post-Kobe epoch unravels before them.

The stone in question is the 2016 offseason. With the acquisitions of Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng and, more importantly, a much lauded lotto pick and coaching staff, this team has pivoted hard. This is no longer a team willing to let rookies wait while Kobe gets his shots up. This is a team that is seeking to become the nouveau Warriors, albeit to call them a poor man’s Dubs would be insulting to paupers and GMs all across the Golden State.

Luke Walton is going to have to summon his best Spaghetti Western squint to turn Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng, Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell into Bogut, Iggy, Draymond, and Steph, respectively. ‘Fey and Deng are extremely well compensated yet oft-injured veterans stepping into the twilight of their careers and if whatever it is they’re expected to lend this team doesn’t come to fruition, their salaries could be the millstone that keeps the Lakers in the depths of the lottery. However, if this incredibly young corps — from the coaching staff on down — can evolve into the balanced, ball-moving, breakneck, bone-crunching screen-setting team that they seem to be emulating, than Luke Walton may find himself holding the Coach of the Year trophy he so richly deserved last year. This could be remembered as the offseason that turned around a moribund franchise, and that’s a milestone worth remembering.

If you have missed them, there are previous Fastbreak Breakfast off-season podcasts focusing on the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Pacers, Bucks, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Knicks, Kings, plus player interviews with Wade Baldwin IV and Brandan Wright. Fastbreak Breakfast episodes are also available on iTunes, Stitcher and Soundcloud.