Los Angeles Lakers: 2015-16 Season Outlook

With 16 championships to their name, the Los Angeles Lakers are easily one of the most prestigious franchises in the NBA. But after posting the lowest win percentage in the team’s history with a 21-61 record last year, which followed another embarrassing 27-55 campaign the season before, the Lakers are waiting to start the next chapter.

Prior to the 2013-14 season, the last time the Lakers had missed the playoffs was 2005, and the time before that was in 1994. This whole “rebuilding” process is unchartered territory for an organization that has almost seamlessly transitioned from Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

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But with Kobe’s career winding down and the Lakers striking out in free agency once again, the Lakers are set to continue with this slow rebuilding phase that will hopefully transition the franchise back to prominence in the near future.

Coming out of the 2015 NBA Draft with the second overall pick, D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers may have found their cornerstone for the next era of Los Angeles Lakers basketball. But heading into the 2015-16 season, it also looks like it’ll be another year of underwhelming performances and a trip back to the draft lottery.

2014-15 Vitals
21-61, 5th in Pacific Division, 14th in Western Conference
98.5 PPG (19th)/105.3 OPPG (29th)
103.4 Offensive Rating (24th)/110.5 Defensive Rating (29th)

Team Leaders
Scoring: Kobe Bryant, 22.3 PPG
Rebounding: Jordan Hill, 7.9 RPG
Assists: Kobe Bryant, 5.6 APG
Steals: Ronnie Price, 1.6 SPG
Blocks: Ed Davis, 1.2 BPG

Honors:
All-Rookie (1st): Jordan Clarkson

Next: 2015-16 Roster