2014-2015 Season Preview: Los Angeles Lakers Q&A

To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA writers. Today we are joined by Jacob Rude, editor at Lake Show Life, Fansided’s Los Angeles Lakers blog to talk Kobe Bryant, Nick Young and more.

1. What do you expect from Kobe Bryant this season?

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Jacob: We’ve already seen that Kobe Bryant is going to be able to perform at a big level this year. There are still questions about how much elevation and explosion he has left, but he still has his high IQ and his deadly post-game. He’s the best offensive weapon for the Lakers, so something between 20-25 points per game is certainly reasonable. I also expect him to be one of the better playmakers, averaging somewhere around five assists a contest.

2. Is Nick Young the second best player on the Lakers? What will they do to replace him while he is out?

Jacob:  As a sign of the times the Lakers are in, Nick Young is likely our second best player (Jeremy Lin is close behind). With him out, the Lakers as a whole, specifically the second unit, will struggle. What Swaggy P does is score, and the Lakers lack pure scorers. We’ve seen how much they struggle to score from deep, and Swaggy is our best three-point threat on the team. Expect players like Lin and Jordan Clarkson to play big roles stepping up to help fill Swaggy’s shoes.

3. How long does it take Julius Randle to overtake Carlos Boozer as a starter?

Jacob: My answer to this question is continually changing. Coming into the season, I felt he should be starting. Watching him in the preseason, he looks overwhelmed and uncertain at times, which you expect out of a rookie. Considering that Byron Scott openly criticized him for his supposed lack of effort, I’d say we’ll be pretty far into the season before Randle starts over Boozer. I’d mark it somewhere around January.

4. How long does this Byron Scott idea of not shooting threes last?

Jacob: First, let me defend Scott at least a little bit. What few shooters the Lakers have are all out injured. Ryan Kelly, Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Young, Clarkson, Henry are all players who could give the Lakers a lift from beyond the arc, and all are battling injuries of some sort. I can assure you there won’t be games where we only shoot three 3s, especially if Swaggy P is on the court.

However, Scott still insists on shooting between 12-15 threes a game, an incredibly low amount. Scott has a track record of being anti-three pointer, so this isn’t something that’s going to go away. Scott is stubborn and I think he’ll keep this mindset most of the season.

5. What is the best case scenario for the Lakers this year? The worst case? What do you actually expect to happen?

Jacob: Figuring out the best and worst case for the Lakers is dependent on your viewpoint toward tanking. With the Lakers first-round pick going to Phoenix if it falls outside the top five, many are calling for the Lakers to tank their hearts out and hope to hold on to that pick. Others want the Lakers to use the pick they acquired from Houston to swing a block buster deal and go for the playoffs.

The worst-case scenario is generally the same for both situations: the Lakers fall in the dread mediocrity phase, not bad enough to hold on to their top-five pick, not good enough to make the playoffs. Outside of that, I’ll give the best case scenario for the pro and anti tanking crowds.

Pro – Lakers quickly realize they aren’t going to be good, sell off their pieces for scrap and tank with big minutes from Randle, Kelly, and Clarkson to help them develop, retaining their top five pick. Also, the Rockets finish in the 8 seed for the playoffs, while the Clippers finish between the 5th and 8th seeds, giving the Lakers their own pick, Houston’s high-teens, low-20s pick, their own second rounder, and the Clippers mid-second rounder, giving them four picks in next year’s draft

Anti- The Lakers realize that they can’t win with the roster they have, although they have some interesting pieces. With big expiring contracts in Nash, Lin, and Jordan Hill, the Lakers pull off a blockbuster deal using Houston’s first-round pick as bait (think Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe). The mystery player, rejuvenated, plays their best ball with Bryant and helps the Lakers to the eighth seed in the playoffs, setting them up for the future.

Reality – The Lakers would be more likely to tank than anything else. Unlike other GMs, Mitch Kupchak will never admit to losing on purpose, but he’s also smart enough to realize it’s benefits. However, I think they’ll be too stubborn and refuse to believe they’re as bad as they are, meaning they won’t make the playoffs and won’t keep their pick.