Rebuild and Retain: Los Angeles Lakers

The last few years have felt like an eternity for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Just a few years removed from making the playoffs in 2013, the Lakers have experienced nothing but turmoil and misfortune en route to having one of the worst records in the league two years running. In the summer of 2012, they added superstar center Dwight Howard and former two-time MVP Steve Nash to go along with current all-time greats in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

That was supposed to be the next super team ready to take on the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the years to come, but it couldn’t have gone worse for the new look Lakers. Mike Brown was fired five games into the year, Nash missed just about the whole season with injuries, Kobe Bryant got hurt late in the year, Dwight’s back problems lingered and the Lakers were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. They barely squeaked in to begin with, getting the eighth seed on one of the final days of the season.

The following offseason, Howard decided to sign with the Houston Rockets, Nash was ruled out for the season and Kobe suffered yet another awful injury that forced him to miss a good chunk of the season. Since then, the Lakers have a combined record of 48-116. For a franchise that has the reputation of being a perennial NBA power, alluring star free agents to the glitz and glamour that is L.A., things aren’t in the starriest of states.

One of the silver linings that comes with being a franchise in rebuild, however, is the NBA Draft. Since the Lakers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the past two seasons, they’ve reaped the benefits of a high draft position. The Lakers are the first team in this “Rebuild and Retain” series going through each NBA team not considered a title contender and assessing the young players they have on their roster. Player development is key in building a championship contender, and this series is going to look at whether or not the young players these teams have will help them reach that level in the future.

Note: Only players on their rookie contracts will be considered for this series. If a team has signed a player to a second contract, that more than likely means that they are considered a core member of the roster.

ROOKIES

D’Angelo Russell

Obviously, these guys aren’t going to be anywhere close to giving us a definitive assessment seeing as they are only a few games into their NBA careers. Nonetheless, the team still has an idea of how these players will fit and what role they’ll play going forward.

Russell was the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, coming out after only spending one season at Ohio State. He was one of college basketball’s most dynamic players, lighting up the internet with his insane passing skills.

In his freshman year at Ohio State, Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game. At 6-5, he has solid height for the point guard position that allows him to see over defenders and make otherworldly passes. Combine that with his incredible touch and you have a guy who should be able to run an NBA offense once he finds his feet, which will take some time seeing as he’s one year removed from high school. It is clear that Russell is the point guard of the future, and you only need the fact that he was drafted second to figure that out.

Larry Nance Jr.

Larry Nance Jr. was one of the surprise picks in the 2015 NBA Draft, being selected 27th overall. Nance averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds en route to leading his Wyoming squad to a shocking NCAA tournament bid. His game is solely predicated on his athleticism, and, boy, can this kid get up.

The problem with Nance is that outside of his crazy length and bounce, he doesn’t have much else. His handle isn’t what you would want for a perimeter guy nor can he stretch the defense at all with an outside shot. He is worth monitoring, though, due to his potential to be an athletic four man who can protect the rim and make plays out of the pick-and-roll. He blocked 2.1 shots per game his junior at Wyoming, leaving room to believe that he’ll develop into a great help side defender.

Anthony Brown

Anthony Brown was a four year player at Stanford who didn’t really blossom until his last two years. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from 3-point range, cementing himself as one of the draft’s best outside shooters. His 6-7 frame puts him in the small forward category, but it is a big question of whether or not he can be a wing. He isn’t the most athletic guy in the world, which will make it hard to defend the perimeter for him. As a small ball power forward, however, Brown has a lot of potential when it comes to making defenses pay by stretching the floor.

I assume that Brown will spend most of his time this year with their D-League affiliate, the L.A. D-Fenders, following in the footsteps of most second round picks. If the losses start to pile up again for the Lakers, however, then Brown should get his shot eventually. Whether he stays with the team long term or not depends on how much he can produce for the D-League team and how he capitalizes on the opportunities given to him with the Lakers.

JULIUS RANDLE

Randle was drafted 7th overall in the 2014 NBA draft but unfortunately broke his leg in his highly anticipated debut that forced him to miss the entirety of his rookie season. Back now in year two, Randle is the starting power forward that the Lakers were planning on him being when they drafted him. His unique blend of size, strength and athleticism at the four makes him an interesting player.

Seriously, this kid’s strength is unreal for a 20-year-old.

Poor Nemanja Bjelica doesn’t stand a chance in this clip.

Randle has problems finishing around the hoop at times — he goes left far too often and doesn’t have the softest of touches. With those physical attributes combined with how hard he plays, though, it is going to be hard to keep him off the floor. The only question remains is how he improves his game. It’s easy for teams to scout him and stay on his right shoulder, or sag off of him when he faces up to dare him to shoot. Randle will have to get smarter at making the right reads instead of just jacking up shots in traffic.

There is still the makings of a real NBA player here, whether he improves or not. His work ethic and age gives the inclination that he will get better, especially since this is his real rookie season. Whether or not he is a franchise cornerstone will hinge on how the coaching staff guides his player development.

JORDAN CLARKSON

Clarkson is one of the more intriguing stories in the NBA for second year players. He was drafted 46th in 2014 by the Washington Wizards, only to see the Lakers buy his rights on draft night. Clarkson then signed a two year non-guaranteed deal with L.A. that will make him a free agent following this season. Clarkson has far out played the size of his contract, which has turned out to be a blessing and a curse for the Lakers.

In 59 games with the Lakers last season, Jordan averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor. Clarkson’s ability to play both guard spots has helped him not only carve out a role, but become one of the more dynamic young players in the league. He can shoot standing still, off of screens and off the bounce, too.

Not only can he create his own shot, Clarkson can create easy looks for others. His speed and length help him get into the lane and his size allows him see over the defense.

The Lakers have a predicament on their hands. Clarkson will be a free agent in 2016, a crucial summer for teams as the salary cap is projected to sky rocket to $89 million. Jordan is only making the minimum this season and will have played just two seasons with the Lakers, leaving them with a limited amount of money they can sign him to over the cap. L.A. will have cap space next summer and if Clarkson’s market value looks to be above his maximum salary with the Lakers, they can dip into that space and give him more than he can make with his Early Bird Rights.

The problem with that for L.A. is they are openly trying to use their huge amounts of cap space in coming years to sign big named free agents. If they use their cap space on a max contract player that takes up all their space, Clarkson could easily sign a deal for more money than the Lakers are legally allowed to offer him under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Lakers have to make a choice on whether he worth keeping around or if their continued chase of the next superstar is worth letting him walk.

Will “Show Time” Ever Return to Los Angeles?

The Lakers have tried to get free agents to embrace the idea that coming to play for the Los Angeles Lakers will provide them with opportunities and fame that no other franchise can offer. The big problem that they’ve run into with this chase is it has come at the cost of trading away the majority of their first round picks. This year, the Lakers owe Philadelphia a top three protected pick — if it falls anywhere lower than three, then the 76ers get L.A.’s lottery pick — which is one example of the several times they have punted their future in exchange for the present.

This puts even more pressure and intrigue into the young guys they have on their roster. Given their current situation, a lot of their future success hinges on the development of Russell, Randle and Clarkson. If it doesn’t work out, then the Lakers will continue this never-ending spiral of disappointment.