Kobe Bryant Is Done … Now What For The Los Angeles Lakers?

What’s Next For The Current Lakers

It’s no secret that the Lakers have been in rebuilding mode for awhile now, but with Bryant retiring, an enormous L.A. fan base will now turn its full attention/devotion to the young trio of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson.

The only problem is, none of them has shown enough (or, more accurately, been given the opportunity to show enough) to reassure anyone in Laker-land that they’ve found the next savior of the franchise.

Make no mistake about it; plenty of fans will try. D’Angelo Russell was immediately compared to Magic Johnson upon being drafted, if only because they’re both point guards who were taken high in the draft.

And while he has the makings of a quality player at age 20, there have already been concerns about Russell’s maturity and how seriously he takes this process, which should’ve been a passing on of the torch.

After a slow start to his rookie season, hindered by Byron Scott benching him and not playing him nearly enough in fourth quarters, Russell wound up averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 41.0 percent shooting from the floor and 35.1 percent from three-point range.

But for all the “ice in his veins” on the court, that cold-bloodedness extended to the locker room, where tensions over his hidden camera film of Nick Young divided the team and even had some Lakers fans hastily entering “trade him!” territory. Trading the closest thing to a franchise player is a silly suggestion, but the questions over his immaturity are not unfounded.

Then there’s Randle, who is quickly living up to his reputation as the next Zach Randolph after averaging 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in what was basically his rookie season. But like Russell, Randle struggled at times because of Scott’s decision to relegate him to bench duty, and at some point, he’ll need to be able to do more than just barrel towards the rim.

Of course, Randle is still only 21 years old as well, so it’s far too early to worry about his poor perimeter shooting and all-around lack of scoring touch.

Finally, there’s Jordan Clarkson, who might be be the closest thing the Lakers have to a Kobe replacement if only because he loves to jack up shots and will probably get the vast majority of the available ones next season. He averaged 15.5 points per game this year, second to only Kobe Bryant, while regularly showing off his athleticism and streaky shooting.

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Unfortunately, he did all this on less than efficient shooting splits of .433/.347/.804. There’s clearly talent with this trio, and it’s far too early to definitively rule any of them out as potential franchise saviors, but up until now, their development has been given the benefit of the doubt because of Scott’s inadequacies and Kobe’s farewell tour.

What’s going to happen to expectations for these youngsters once Lakers fans no longer have Kobe to fall back on for distraction? What’s going to happen when the Los Angeles media descends on these unprepared, raw talents like a pack of ravenous wolves hungry for the next franchise savior to replace Kobe and make this team relevant again?

And, perhaps most importantly, what’s going to happen if Byron Scott is still allowed to shepherd these young lambs right into the lion’s den?

Next: What's Next For The Head Coach