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Los Angeles Lakers: 2016-17 Season Outlook

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D Angelo Russell (1) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (left) after making a shot during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D Angelo Russell (1) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (left) after making a shot during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 107-101. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers
Mar 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) and guard D’Angelo Russell (1) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-107. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Three Key Storylines: 1. How Good Is This Young Core?

Barring a plague-like outbreak of injuries in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers won’t be a playoff team again this year. Fortunately, all that really matters for the upcoming season is the progress shown by the foundational Russell-Clarkson-Ingram-Randle quartet.

The chemistry between all these young pieces is the overarching purpose of the 2016-17 season.

Last season, Clarkson was the team’s second-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game on slightly inefficient shooting splits of .433/.347/.804. Can he prove himself to be more than just a future sixth man? Can he and D’Angelo Russell co-exist in the same backcourt?

Russell earned All-NBA Rookie Second Team honors, coming on strong at the end of the season after failing to earn Bryon Scott’s trust early in the year. After the All-Star break, the youngster averaged an impressive 15.1 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range.

The question is, can he overcome concerns about his maturity to become the franchise player and well-rounded point guard this franchise needs?

If Russell is unable to take that step forward in just his second season, all eyes will shift to Brandon Ingram as the next franchise savior — if they’re not there already. With the surprisingly fluid athleticism that fellow slender guys like KD and Giannis Antetokounmpo regularly display, Ingram is expected to be the future face of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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    • Even if Los Angeles is terrible again in 2016-17, which they likely will be after sporting the NBA’s worst defense and second-worst offense last year, at least Ingram’s progress — and standing in the Rookie of the Year conversation — will provide fans with some kind of distraction.

    Then there’s Randle, who is a bit of an unknown at this point. There are concerns about him possibly winding up a tweener, his shooting was less than efficient, he can’t spread the floor and his defensive awareness clearly needs some work.

    That being said, Randle did just average a double-double in what was essentially his rookie season, and his unique blend of speed and interior strength makes him a tough player to stop when he gets rolling.

    Not much is expected of Randle compared to Russell and Ingram, but the 2016-17 season could go a long ways in proving he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those two cornerstones.

    Finally, there are the auxiliary pieces. Can Larry Nance Jr. develop into anything more than an energetic role player who throws down a mesmerizing dunk from time to time? Is Ivica Zubac a long-term answer at center? Can Anthony Brown crack the rotation?

    The 2016-17 season isn’t a make-or-break situation for any of these players, but in the first Lakers season in two decades that won’t feature Kobe dominating the rock, the youngsters’ progress toward contending again in the future will take center stage.

    Next: Storyline 2: The Need For Leadership

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