With Larry Nance Jr and Jordan Clarkson gone what about the rest of the young guns?
The Los Angeles Lakers have a star studded history Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West to another great in Mr 100 point game centre Wilt Chamberlain to legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson to the recent Greats of Shaquille O'neal and the greatest Iso shooter i have ever seen... Kobe Bryant. But with the season coming to a close and free agency looming, Will the Lakers go all in, our stick to the rebuild?
The Lakers as of now have just beat the Orlando Magic 108-107 and have a record of 26-35 and are now 5 and a half games back of the 8th spot and final playoff spot currently held by the Los Angeles Clippers. This team has exceeded expectations this season and with the young core of the 7th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft Julius Randle, the 2nd overall pick in 2016 Brandon Ingram and the 2nd overall pick in 2017 Lonzo Ball. The future looks bright.
2 young assets were also acquired in the 2nd round who are also part of the young core this season are guard Josh Hart and a player who was in contention for rookie of the year early in the season Kyle Kuzma. The above 5 players along with veteran players Brook Lopez and recently acquired from the Nance Jr and Jordan Clarkson trade and last year's MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas from the Cleveland Cavaliers have added a bit of steel to and leadership to this Lakers team.
However they is talk that with free agents available like Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and the main attraction the greatest player in the world as we speak Lebron James, they is growing concern that the Lakers young guns might get broken up and a few pieces may be moved to free up cap space for two big free agents to come in next season. The chances of more moves being made in the summer has risen when young pieces Clarkson and Nance Jr were moved in February.
So Should the Lakers stick with the young guns and build for the future? Or Go after Free Agents? My Take.....
I personally think that the Lakers should keep the nucleus of Ball, Ingram, Randle, Kuzma and Hart. From what i have seen this season Randle has been playing like a monster and has been a destructive force on the inside, Hart has played very well as a backup point guard and has shown a lot of potential this season and can probably from what i have seen become a decent option a few years down the line. Kuzma has been a hidden gem and has shown this season to be a real star a couple years from now. Ingram is a stud and i see Allstar potential from him, the resemblance to Kevin Durant's game to his own game is crazy and this guy has the potential to be as successful star in this league. Then theys Ball..... the underdog, the guy with the loudmouth dad the guy with the rap album the guy who everyone said after his first game would be a bust..... the guy in my opinion who can be a triple double machine and makes his team so much better whens hes on the court, to me this early..... i see Allstar potential. Love his game too.
Lebrons the greatest player in the world at the moment but he's getting old and is on the decline..... is it worth paying big for his decline years? i don't think so as i think Lebron would only come to LA for the celebrity life and to improve his brand, not to win. Paul George? he's a LA guy and i rate him as one of the top small forwards in the game, if i had to choose between him and Lebron? i would choose PG13 as he's still got his prime years ahead of him and he does not need the ball in his hands as much as Lebron.
Overall i think that the Lakers should keep building through the youth and keep hold of the veterans they have especially Brook Lopez (not Isiah Thomas as i think he wants max money and he's definitely overrated). Add some pieces to what they have and think of the future. Re-sign Randle in the summer and build towards a bright future with the young guns you have. Then... LA may get a new era of Showtime.
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Great post. I believe the Lakers should keep their core nucleus as well. We can see how the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard put the Lakers behind the rest of the NBA years back. One piece that I highly recommend Lakers get is a superstar Center. Lakers have the cap room and the trade "bait" to solidify this position for the next 5-7 years