LA Lakers: How Will The Young Guns Play Together?
The Los Angeles Lakers have a promising wealth of young prospects in Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, and Jordan Clarkson, all of whom need to see a healthy dose of minutes throughout the upcoming season. The door is open for any of these young guns to cement their spot within the NBA’s most valued franchise, especially next season.
Head coach Byron Scott will be able to experiment with starting lineups and mid-game combinations plenty in 2015-16, in part due to the fact that the front-office whiffed in free-agency. A team like the Lakers who will have little to no shot at a playoff spot in the brutal Western Conference next year will simply have nothing to lose by allowing talent to develop and play through mistakes.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a good thing that Lou Williams was essentially the only player that wanted to join the purple and gold but, well… it kind of is. Fans don’t want to hear it but allowing growth to happen gradually and internally is, sometimes, the best option. While it’s never been the Lakers’ style, the promise of these three youngsters should still have everyone excited.
Specifically, I want to discuss how Julius Randle will gel with the two young guards. An offensively-gifted power forward who fell victim to a season-ending broken right leg in last season’s opener will have a chance to really show what he’s got next season. Though he drew mixed results in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 11.5 points and four rebounds per-game on just 39.5-percent shooting, there’s no denying Randle’s ability to muscle his way into the paint as well as shoot from the mid-range. Randle’s ability in the paint will be particularly interesting to watch develop, as many teams are moving in favor of more slender, outside-oriented fours. Randle should be able to take many of the aforementioned four-men to school on the low block and in the paint. That being said, physical imposition will only get someone so far. Eventually Randle will have to polish off his finesse post abilities and footwork. Both are not bad but he has the potential to be an offensive force if he cleans those things up a bit.
Alternatively, Randle’s shooting touch, while non-existent through much of the Summer League, can be a huge asset. Randle running either the pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop with Russell has the potential to be deadly. While Russell has shown, both in college and Summer League, his pick-and-roll decision-making skills are there, Randle’s ability to pop at times and knock down a jumper will be invaluable. While Russell is adept enough to make any number of things happen courtesy of a good screen, the simple solution is sometimes best in that throwing it out to an open shooter works a lot.
I’d prefer to see Randle roll inside and finish but if the shot is working why not use it? Making Daryl Morey and Sam Hinkie cringe with some mid-ranged shooting would simply be a bonus.
Randle’s on-court work with Jordan Clarkson may not be quite as pronounced as his with Russell, especially if Clarkson plays significant minutes as a shooting-guard, but there’s still damage to be done there as well.
Clarkson sometimes struggled to run the offense last year but showed a knack for scoring. While his three-point shooting wasn’t fantastic, last season at 31.4-percent, his mid-ranged shot has really blossomed. Clarkson has the size and athleticism to potentially play at the two and I for one would like to see it. Clarkson’s skill-set is that of a wing more than a point. Defensively he’ll have to make some adjustments but I think it can be done.
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His play with Randle and Russell will be mostly decided by what position he plays but for the purposes of this article, I will write as if he will play shooting-guard.
Clarkson’s mid-ranged ability could be a valuable asset should Randle draw double-teams in the paint at any point. Contrary to the opinions of many, you don’t have to be a laser three-point threat to stretch the floor. Clarkson’s three-point stroke will, I think, improve if he plays as a shooting guard. It will afford him more spot-up and catch-and-shoot opportunities as opposed to having to create his own shot. This will allow him to develop a more reliable rhythm and feel for the long-ball over the course of a season. That can only help Randle polish his post game.
Clarkson’s play alongside Russell will be, in my opinion, the most interesting tandem in Los Angeles next season. Clarkson created his own shot off the dribble a ton last season. With Russell’s passing prowess, he won’t have to quite as much. Russell will undoubtedly hit a wall of turnovers more than once in his rookie year. The flashy passes that have worked his entire life, won’t always work in an NBA game. That’s okay, that’s part of the learning curve. Clarkson’s ability to create shots will help Russell while he learns. If the errant passes are coming in bunches for Russell, Clarkson’s experience last season running the point can come in.
Clarkson can bring the ball up, get the hypothetical ball — or the actual one, depending on how much time is left — rolling and allow Russell to make decisions off the ball, call for a pass, and hit a cutter or shooter rather than spearheading the attack.
Nor I or anyone else knows exactly how the Lakers will shake down next season but hopefully this column has provided you with some interesting thoughts to mull over while we anxiously await the return of the NBA season. The young guns are prepped to take over Laker-land and this upcoming season will be a strong indicator of things to come.