When the Los Angeles Lakers struggled in summer league play, there was a lot of concern. For the most part, teams use that tournament to see where their rookies are at heading into the new year. For the Lakers, it was a chance to see the talent that would more than likely be playing major minutes for the franchise in 2015. Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell were just a few of the players in the Las Vegas Nevada tournament and the return on their play was not all positive. However, instead of making panic trades heading into the year, the Lakers are confident the young players can develop.
While Russell and Clarkson might have struggled in summer league play, hope is high around the duo to be productive in 2015. Clarkson is coming off a breakout year following Steve Nash's injury and Jeremy Lin's struggles while Russell was drafted with the No.2 overall pick. Russell admitted his summer league play was not where he wanted it to be, but he is confident that he can settle down and be successful.
"It's just a matter of settling down," Russell said, via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "A lot of those turnovers are from risk-taking and it's successful sometimes, but at this level it's being able to settle down and be patient. It's about slowing down as a team, being patient."
According to general manager Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers have all of the confident in the world in both young point guards which means trades for help are unlikely for the time being. ESPN's Kevin Pelton as linked the Lakers to a trade for Markieff Morris while the Boston Globe has put the team as an option for either Ricky Rubio or Eric Bledsoe. Instead, Kupchak believes Los Angeles drafted a player with All-Star talent who should pair well with Clarkson. Kupchak went as far as to say the two players will form the Lakers' backcourt for the next 10-12 years.
"At No. 2, you hope to get a player that has All-Star capability, and we think we did. He's got gifts that you can work really long and hard on and still not acquire those gifts. Our vision would be for both players to play in the backcourt for the next 10-12 yards," Kupchak said, via Sirius XM NBA radio.
The Lakers are hoping they have the depth in place to help the growth of younger players. Brandon Bass was signed to run tandem with Randle. Coming off a season-ending injury in his rookie year, Bass is expected to compete for a starting spot while Randle develops in what is essentially his first year in the league. Depth will be a key factor for the Lakers moving forward while trades continue to get shut down.
