It was a historic night in the team’s historically bad season.
And now it’s time to look ahead to L.A.’s top offseason priorities.
There will be a top-three draft pick to choose, should the Lakers survive the bouncing lottery balls. The team also has boatloads of cash to spend in free agency.
And then there’s the question of what to do about Byron Scott, a stubborn old-school head coach whose 38-126 record during his two-year tenure doesn’t serve as any kind of guiding light for a better tomorrow.
5. Continue Developing Young Players
Just because the season is over doesn’t mean the young Lakers can chill for the summer.
By and large, the team's key first- and second-year players continue to show progress, including Julius Randle’s aptitude for snagging boards.
But there is plenty of room for improvement. In particular, D’Angelo Russell has a lot of growing yet to do. The No. 2 draft pick had an inconsistent rookie season, being shuffled in and out of the starting lineup and trying to find his way in Scott’s Princeton-based offense.
There’s also the question of off-court maturity and judgement, as evidenced in his unintended video outing of teammate Nick Young’s indiscretions.
During his team exit interview, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Russell said he “needs to get in the weight room this summer,” and that he also wants to work on his post game.
It’s not just Russell, of course. Randle must continue develop...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
