Los Angeles Lakers: Young Players Going Forward
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a lost season, at least in terms of being competitive enough to challenge for a Western Conference playoff spot. Kobe Bryant‘s return has not made much of a difference in the team’s fortunes, and the additions of Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin have fizzled due to their lack of defensive focus.
As of Tuesday’s loss to the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers are 10 games back from the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and most would agree that any type of playoff push was an insane proposition even before this campaign kicked off.
The good news about this scenario? Only three teams have fewer wins than the Lakers, putting them in prime position to reclaim their first-round draft choice from the Phoenix Suns. Ideally, they would keep the pick and add another young talent to a roster that needs both of those attributes: youth and talent.
However, even in the middle of a season where top-pick Julius Randle broke his leg, there is some hope to be sparked by a handful of young, promising players currently on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster. As the team moves forward, it would behoove Byron Scott to increase the playing time of these prospects in order to properly evaluate them for the future.
Let’s take a look at what we have seen from each of the four potential prospects thus far, and how they can establish themselves as part of the future of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ed Davis
Davis has been one of the more productive candidates as he was one of the primary beneficiaries of rookie Julius Randle’s absence due to injury. Through his efficient scoring around the rim and solid defensive presence Davis ascended into the starting lineup, and he’s stayed there since achieving the distinction as a starter.
Still, his minutes (24.2 per game on the season, 26.2 per game in December) are still on par with what you’d expect with an upper tier reserve as opposed to a full-fledged starter. In all reality, Davis projects as a nice backup big, so this minute distribution doesn’t lend itself to much speculation what he could do if he were handed 35+ minutes per contest.
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Offensively, he has a ton of developing to do, and most of his points are either spoon-fed to him or come via the offensive rebound. While this is a nice attribute to have as a complimentary player due to the efficiency of such shots, the Lakers (or any other team for that matter) won’t be relying on Davis to shoulder the offensive load any time soon.
Defensively is a bit of a different story for Ed Davis. He can rebound and block shots at an excellent level, and these are the tools that teams are excited about when it comes to Davis as a player. For the Lakers he’s been consistent in both areas, and arguably their best rim protector both from a blocking perspective and altering opponents’ shots.
His problem in this area is that, against aggressive bigs in particular, he’s prone to getting into foul trouble and hurting his availability as a result.
Bringing back Ed Davis next season is a no-brainer, but it’s not entirely the Lakers’ choice. Davis has a player option on his contract that will pay him only a little over $1 million next season if he exercises it.
The market for rim protection is a rich one (the Cleveland Cavaliers traded two first-round draft choices for Timofey Mozgov recently), and with his play this season Davis has proven that he is worth more than a minimum deal. We will get a glimpse into the Lakers’ plans for Davis if they end up keeping him through this trade season.
Ryan Kelly
Kelly is a bit more interesting because he’s got a skill set unlike anyone else on this Los Angeles Lakers team, and his evaluation is hindered by the lack of playing time he’s seen this season due to injury. Kelly has only played 160 minutes in 10 games this season.
The former Duke Blue Devil looked like an intriguing prospect in Mike D’Antoni‘s system, but it remains to be seen what he can do exactly with consistent playing time in a less offensively friendly approach. He certainly has a skill set that nearly any team can use; a 6’11” forward that can stretch the floor with three-point shooting.
Offensively, that will likely be his niche until he expands his game, but is reason enough to encourage coach Byron Scott to cut into veteran Carlos Boozer’s playing time going forward.
On defense Kelly will need to work on some things, but isn’t really any worse than the alternative options on the Laker bench going forward.
Nobody is going to confuse Kelly with Blake Griffin athletically, and with his height he should probably be a better rebounder, but overall he’s the type of guy that could be aided by playing off the bench or next to a solid rim protector that cleans up the mess.
The organization likes him, and it’s clear he’s part of the plan going forward, but we simply have not seen enough of him under Byron Scott to truly evaluate where he fits on the roster beyond being a stretch forward.
The Rookies: Jordan Clarkson & Tarik Black
Jordan Clarkson was a possible first-round talent coming out of Missouri that fell quite deep in the draft. He’s athletic, long, and has shown glimpses of being a dynamic scorer that can get to the foul-line more easily that nearly anybody currently on the Lakers. So why isn’t he playing?
That’s a great question, and the answer is probably that Byron Scott isn’t ready to look like he’s throwing in the towel on this season yet. Instead, he insists on playing journeyman Ronnie Price and Jeremy Lin in a timeshare situation, allowing Clarkson’s minutes to fall by the wayside.
Still, the rookie from Mizzou could certainly help the Lakers offensively by doing what Jeremy Lin is supposed to be doing: slashing to the rim aggressively and getting to the foul-line. He’s still a project if the team thinks that he’s a point guard, and getting him meaningful minutes against NBA competition is definitely the best way to provide him some experience.
It’s possible that deals at the trade deadline, along with potentially resting Kobe Bryant for the season could open up more minutes for the promising young rookie.
Tarik Black was waived by the Houston Rockets to make room for Josh Smith, and the Los Angeles Lakers promptly took advantage by claiming him. He’s played limited time thus far in his NBA career, but is earning more time with the Lakers each game through his intensity and knack for rebounding.
In fact, for the Lakers his per 36 minutes numbers are ridiculous. He checks in with per 36 minutes averages of 17.2 points, 13.7 rebounds, a steal, and a block per game. Aside from the fun with small sample sizes, it shows how effective Black has been in his limited time on the court with the Lakers (17.8 minutes average over four games).
His play has warranted extra consideration from Byron Scott, and he could easily unseat the veterans ahead of him if his defense remains consistent.
Going forward with the Lakers, Black can be a potential rebounding big off the bench, and a solid role player who changes the game with his energy and effort. We have seen players like this go on to be incredibly successful due to their effort, and it’s certain that he will grow into a fan favorite due to his energy and effort on the court.
However, just like all of these players, Tarik Black will need time from coach Byron Scott to develop into a piece of the future of the Los Angeles Lakers.