Are the Lakers taking the proper route back to NBA supremacy?
The Los Angeles Lakers have entered unchartered waters by missing the postseason in three straight seasons — a feat not seen in their 68-year existence. Philadelphia 76ers fans might scoff at that stat, however, when all you’ve known as a franchise is seemingly endless success, three straight seasons in the muck seem like an eternity.
Los Angeles is full of stars — both on and off the court — and Kobe Bean Bryant was one of the most recognizable and revered of them all. Bryant said goodbye to the team he helped bring to supremacy over the last 20 seasons, although the last three probably make him wish he would see the flashy thingy from Men in Black, giving him the alternate reality where he fades into the sunset a champion.
By all accounts the Lakers did right by The Mamba, giving him a farewell tour that might sound narcissistic (it is by the way) but it gave fans, media and his peers a chance to see a more vulnerable Kobe, a Kobe with dare I say it — his guard down a little bit. Byron Scott still should have gotten the up-and-comers more playing time alongside their future Hall of Famer, but now that Kobe has officially passed the torch, it’s the dawn of a new age.
The last winning season in tinsel town was the 2012-13 campaign and to understand the current situation you needn’t look further than next year’s roster — there isn’t a single soul from that season around. All. New. Players. It’s no wonder the team has limped to a 65-181 record over the last three years. From 1999 to 2013, the franchise had one losing season and enjoyed not one, but two dynamic duos in route to five NBA Championships. It’s okay if you released an audible “wow” just as I did finding the data.
The task at hand is reverting back to their good old selves — you know, the ones that win and don’t stink up the joint. The ones that would never kowtow to their step-siblings with the Clipper moniker. The ones who embody the L.A. lifestyle and carefree attitude as they gleefully earn jealous scorn from nearly every other franchise in The Association.
While it feels like those Lakers are gone — and they are — these new neophyte Lakers are trying to follow the rebuild model and add their names to the ever-present rafters as well. There are 11 players on the books right now for the 2016-17 season and six of those players are 24-years-old or younger. Now that the elder statesmen have come and gone, it’s time for these young bucks to take their rightful places at the thrown of victory — or wallow in defeat.
So, how can the front office help?
Rebuilding a roster is a delicate, largely internal, battle for front office executives. Each individual likely has an idea of what’s best for the team and it’s a game of sales pitches until they are able to find the right formula. How many young horses do we need? How do we sprinkle vets in to help the young guys learn? Which vets do we target? Can we move some assets for a bona fide starter? All of these questions seem easy to the guy sitting on the couch at home eating potato chips, waffling in his sorrows over stupid Mitch Kupchak and his idiotic decisions, but we know better.
The chart above shows the ratio of how successful rosters have been built since the 2009 season. The three main categories being drafted players, free agent acquisitions and players who were traded to bolster a team’s roster. Each team viewed individually would show stylistic decisions and reasons for certain moves, however, this overview is enough to see a template for building a team — assuming that you add the right pieces in each category.
The Lakers are going to two more assets come June 23rd in Brooklyn as they own the No. 2 and No. 32 pick in the draft. If both selections end up making the opening roster, they will have eight of their own (or draft rights acquired) players. Both of the top charts show that successful, title contending franchises in the NBA typically have five drafted players on their roster.
Kupchak has worlds of cap space to work with this offseason, but rather than just going on a spending spree the Lakers need to make calculated decision on who to acquire to play around their core.
Los Angeles should not have any illusions of grandeur regarding their impending success next season. A franchise which won 17 games, however, finally has a glimmer of hope for the future.
Lakers brass made what looks to be a wise hire in Luke Walton for their next head coach, their two recent lottery picks D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle look to be key cogs moving forward, and they are going to add either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram to the mix. Those are all reasons for Lakers fans to be giddy for the start of the 2016-17 season — the first step on the road to relativity. That road can be long and arduous, but Kupchak seems to be pulling the necessary strings to get this franchise out of the black and white of the past three seasons, and back into the gleaming light that this city shines on a chosen few.