Young Lakers Could Develop into a Great Team Only if they can Keep them Together


Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma


If you ask me, no other team in the NBA is as young and as high potential as the Lakers

They defeated Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunders and San Antonio Spurs, yes they have done that. While their record isn't exactly peachy, the young group has shown tremendous improvement and resilience every game and there are a number of reasons why Lakes fans should be happy about their season.

Led by rookie sensation Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and other young prospects, the Lakers core is probably the most exciting in the league and a couple more years, we could see a rebirth of the Lakers as a competitive team.

Lonzo Ball has attracted media attention and while his father helped in his popularity, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 7 assist and double-figure scoring every game certainly did help, as well as the young point guard, is looking like the player that we hope him to be, assuming he would fix his 35% field goal shooting.

Brandon Ingram - Before Lonzo, Brandon Ingram was assumed to be the savior and while that is not happening yet, the young Ingram who is at the same age of Lonzo of 20 is already leading the scoring parade for the Lakers averaging almost 16 points per game and winning games for the Lakers.  A break out year is imminent for this young player as Magic Johnson himself thinks that he could be a franchise player.

Kyle Kuzma at 22 is one of the big steals in the draft this year as he surprised and surpassed the expectation of many and has turned to be one of the main offensive weapon of the Lakers this year. Averaging 15 points and contributing 5 boards isn't bad for the 27th overall pick. We see Kyle Kuzma as a perfect compliment to Lonzo.


Jordan Clarkson in his 3rd season as a Lakers continues to provide reliable punch whether from the bench or sometimes as a staring role. Like Kuzma, Clarkson is also a draft steal being picked 16th in the second round, a lot of teams have looked passed him in the draft but could now be looking for his service as he has been part of trade talks in recent weeks.  Clarkson who is the 3rd best scorer of the Lakers could be traded but Lakers may need to think long and hard before they pull the trigger as Clarkson is basically peaking and could be having his best years ahead.


Julius Randle - If there is anyone out there that should be getting more exposure that would be Julius. The 23-year power forward has been itching to make a statement but due to a limitation in minutes (23 mins per game) Randle has not bloomed to his full potential yet but he is potentially a star in the making given the right environment to thrive on. Randle is averaging 14 points on 55% FG shooting.

Larry Nance Jr. - A name that's very familiar too old school basketball fans as his father Larry Nance Sr was also one of the best scorer and high flyer in the NBA. Today Larry Nance continues that legacy and could be breaking out soon. One thing about Nance jr that he posses more probably than any other Lakers is the ability to make slam dak highlight real which is somewhat an essential part of today's basketball era to become a star.  Nance jr in a couple of years could be a starter and a regular contributor not only to highlight slam dunk but also of statistical points.

Other notable young Lakers includes Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tyler Ennis, Josh Hart, Gary Payton II, Ivica Zubac anyone of these players has potentials to be stars and if Lakers can find a way to develop them and be patient they may not need to trade for any superstars.



NoPlayerPosHtWt (lbs)AgeExpBirth PlaceCollege
2

Lonzo Ball
PG
6' 6"19020RAnaheim, CaliforniaUCLA
3

Corey Brewer
GF/SF
6' 9"1863110Portland, TennesseeFlorida
31

Thomas Bryant
C
6' 10"24820RRochester, New YorkIndiana
1

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
GF/SG
6' 5"205244Thomaston, GeorgiaGeorgia
4

Alex Caruso
SG
6' 4"18123RCollege Station, TexasTexas A&M
6

Jordan Clarkson
G/PG/SG
6' 5"194253Tampa, FloridaMissouri
9

Luol Deng
F
6' 9"2203213Wau, SudanDuke
10

Tyler Ennis
PG
6' 3"194233Brampton, CanadaSyracuse
5

Josh Hart
SG/PG
6' 5"20522RSilver Spring, MarylandVillanova
14

Brandon Ingram
GF/SF/SG
6' 9"190201Kinston, North CarolinaDuke
0

Kyle Kuzma
F/SF/PF
6' 9"22122RFlint, MichiganUtah
11

Brook Lopez
C
7' 0"268299Los Angeles, CaliforniaStanford
7

Larry Nance Jr.
FC/PF
6' 9"230252Akron, OhioWyoming
23

Gary Payton II
SG
6' 3"190251Seattle, WashingtonOregon State
30

Julius Randle
FC/PF/C
6' 9"250233Dallas, TexasKentucky
40

Ivica Zubac
C
7' 1"265201Mostar, Bosnia and HerzegovinaNone

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