Lakers Season Opener: 5 Things To Watch For

For Los Angeles, the Lakers season opener means the official beginning of the post-Kobe Bryant era — and much more.

At long last, all of the talk surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers will be put to rest and we’ll get to see what they’re really made of.

To begin the 2016-17 season, the Lakers home opener will be against the Houston Rockets.

James Harden, an Oklahoma City sixth man turned savior in Houston, will have his hands full in D’Angelo Russell.

Russell’s improvements have come quicker than most expected. Summer league showed that Russell’s confidence in his game has improved, as well as his confidence in his teammates.

Houston got into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed before being manhandled by an unfair Golden State squad.

This year could prove to be more of the same, as only time will tell how good the Rockets really are.

Dwight Howard jumped ship in the off-season to join the Atlanta Hawks, so that too will be a factor in the game against the Lakers.

In order for Los Angeles to get the win, their young core is going to have to shine.

The future does look promising, that much is fair to say, but to expect anything magnificent right off the bat is only kidding yourself.

Realistically, the Pacific division is still able to hold its own — and that means the Lakers are still ways away from truly becoming competitors.

They’re not far behind, but they’re behind far enough.

With that in mind, here are the five big things to look for as Houston and Los Angeles square off at Staples Center on Wednesday night.