Kobe Bryant and a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant is retiring. After two decades as the villain, the guy opposing fan bases could unite against in hatred, Kobe’s story is ending. It’s surreal to think of the NBA without its greatest villain. It’s even harder to think of the Los Angeles Lakers without him.

But the departure of a legend is also a chance for the Lakers to start anew. As long as Kobe has been in Los Angeles, the front office has focused on two goals when building the team: making the playoffs and bringing superstars to Los Angeles. Well, neither of those things is happening much these days, and with Bryant leaving, this may be the perfect opportunity to move forward into a new era of Lakers basketball.

The Kobe era has been full of success, points and a whole lot of arguments about the player himself. Drafted out of high school as a 17-year-old, Kobe was soon paired with the dominant force of Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe was expected to be a solid NBA player, but it’s unlikely anybody expected him to turn into the player he became — five championships, including a three-peat, 81 points, two Finals MVPs, one regular season MVP, multiple All-NBA appearances, and the respect of every defender in the NBA. Not bad for a No. 13 pick.

Along with the success, Bryant and O’Neal helped give rise to a mystique that still exists today, even as the Lakers wallow in their worst years. An idea, and sometimes a reality, that because the Lakers are the Lakers they will get whatever and whoever they want.

The franchise had decades of success before Bryant arrived, but things changed after 1996. The Lakers mystique was no longer just something opposing fans resented as Los Angeles put up another banner. The franchise itself started to believe the hype. They traded away O’Neal to the Miami Heat, went through a couple rough seasons, then swindled the Memphis Grizzlies to bring in Pau Gasol. For those few lean years they received a young Andrew Bynum who, for a short period, was one of the league’s best young big men. How did they get all this so quickly after sending away a legendary player? Because they’re the Lakers. Entitlement, real and imagined, is part of the program. They get what they want.

However, the mystique has begun to dissipate over the years. The trend of Lakers entitlement looked like it would continue when they acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, but the move backfired. Nash’s age caught up to him while Howard was a shell of himself battling through injuries and off-court drama. Gasol got old. Coaches came and went. Free agents were missed out on. Now, the mystique that has surrounded the Lakers for two decades appears all but dead. Sure, it still gets them in the room with top free agents, but it’s not nearly enough to close the deal.

The Lakers mystique needs a reboot. Los Angeles can’t continue to operate like they have in the past, relying on history and reputation to make things work out for them. They are in dire need of a fresh start, the kind of organic growth that can get the franchise back on track toward a better future. That’s been painfully obvious for a couple years now. The problem is they’ve always had players and pieces that have prevented them from hitting that reset button. When they still had Gasol and Bryant, they were expected to do right by the veterans and at least compete for the playoffs. Now that Bryant is leaving, they don’t owe anything to anybody. The goal of the franchise should no longer be paying it back to former veterans, and paying homage to the banners hanging from the rafters, but building the franchise back up to respectability, slowly and sustainably.

Luckily for Los Angeles, over the last few years of awful basketball they’ve managed to fall backwards into some quality players. D’Angelo Russell has shown flashes of brilliance in his rookie season. He’s the kind of player that a franchise can build around, and when he’s not being held down by Byron Scott, or engaging in strange episodes of immaturity, you can see the potential for him to become a superstar. He’s got incredible vision as a passer, and the scoring instincts are there. There’s a reason he went second in a draft class that looks absolutely loaded. He just needs the minutes and experience to bring it all together. When he does, the Lakers are going to be thrilled they gave him the keys to their offense.

Julius Randle’s first full year has shown that he’s definitely an NBA player, and there’s room for him to grow into a good one at that. Despite missing his entire rookie year, he always seems to know where to be on offense. He’s incredibly strong, and spent much of this year pushing veterans out of the way with ease. If nothing else, Randle is going to be a great hustle guy and rebounder. Just teach him how to defend like an NBA player and opposing forwards are going to be exhausted any time they’re matched up with him.

Jordan Clarkson’s future with the team isn’t guaranteed, but if they keep him, then he’s going to be a quality guard for the next few years. He might not have the upside of Russell, but his scoring instincts are exactly what teams running a dual point guard backcourt want. He’s big enough to go up against two guards, and he showed slight improvement as a 3-point shooter this season. Los Angeles should make an effort to keep him around.

Even after everybody laughed at the Larry Nance Jr. pick, he’s spent much of this season looking like a pretty solid young player. His athleticism is absurd, and he is as fun to watch as almost any young player in the league. His upside is significantly lower than the other young guys around him, but none of them have the potential to compete in a dunk contest someday.

To add to all the potential on the current roster, they Lakers are going to get another lottery pick in the upcoming draft. This is an opportunity the Lakers haven’t had in over 20 years. Possibly longer. They have a young core. They have assets. There’s potential to build organically with pieces they’ve acquired through the draft. Instead of using the salary cap money they have this summer to go after a star, or high tier player, they should use it to build around what they have. Get a wing to help out Russell and Clarkson. Go after a center to pair next to Randle or Nance Jr. Sign smart veterans. Sign role players that will actually help win games. Build a team. The Lakers have an opportunity here that some franchises never get. It would be a waste of a talented young core if they were to go chasing another free agent star this off season.

Kobe Bryant has had a historic career, and his is a distinguished chapter in the storied history of the Lakers franchise. Los Angeles wouldn’t be the same without him. That said, his retirement is a chance for the Lakers to finally move on, to say goodbye to the “Because We’re The Lakers” era, and welcome in a new one. It’s time to step out of the past and into the present.