The Los Angeles Lakers' future is finally looking bright. After four seasons in the dark, the Lakers seem to finally know their way out. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have taken the reigns, and, so far, have steered the team in the right direction. And now, the Lakers have a new star to follow by the name of Lonzo Ball. Next summer might be even more important for the Lakers, but first, their young corps has to prove that it can take a step forward in the upcoming season.
Lakers taking steps forward
The era of Magic and Pelinka started off well.
First, they got a first round draft pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Lou Williams, who was a big reason why they were winning games and not improving their chances in the draft lottery. Then, they did the unthinkable, as they were able to rid themselves of Timofey Mozgov's hefty contract. They traded Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell, who failed to show any signs of leadership in his two years with the Lakers, in exchange for former All-Star center Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick in the draft.
Lopez is a formidable addition. He is on a one-year contract, so the Lakers will have plenty of cap space next summer. Lopez is a professional low-post scorer and has become a threat from the perimeter.
The news get better for Laker Nation. With the 27th pick, they were able to get forward Kyle Kuzma, who is proving in this summer league that he can be a very good NBA player thanks to his tenacity and skill on both ends of the floor.
And, finally, the Lakers hit their biggest home run in many years. They drafted flashy point guard Lonzo Ball from UCLA.
Ball, 19, has only been able to strengthen people's perception that he can be a transcendent basketball player thanks to his play in this summer league. The latest major Lakers news is the signing of shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Pope also signed for one year, and his defensive presence and shooting will surely help the Lakers next season.
Can the Lakers make some noise next season?
One can envision a Lakers starting lineup with Ball as the point guard, Pope the shooting guard, Ingram the small forward, Julius Randle the power forward, and Brook Lopez the center. Ball will be the floor general that will look to control the pace of the game at all times. His teammates will have to be attentive at all times because a pass may come their way at the most unexpected moments.
Pope will be the defensive anchor of the team in the perimeter, and will also have to be ready to knock down three-pointers. In his one summer league game, Brandon Ingram was able to prove that the sky is the limit for him. He seems to have worked on different facts of his game and looks ready to become elevate his game next season.
His association with Ball will play a big factor in the team's success moving forward.
Julius Randle has been working harder than ever on his body. He will be one of the players who will benefit the most from playing with Ball. Randle will run the floor harder than ever. And then there is the veteran leader and scorer that the Lakers desperately needed, Brook Lopez. The Lakers will now be able to feed the ball to an experienced and reliable player in crunch time.
Will the Lakers reach the playoffs next season? It is highly improbable. The western conference is loaded with talented players and teams more than ever. The Lakers are still a young, inexperienced team with many holes in their roster. But who knows what can happen when Lonzo Ball has the ball?
