NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Are Still Soul Searching

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Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

This has been quite the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have dealt with injuries, losses and a bunch of new faces being forced into the spotlight before there are even ready.

During opening night against the Houston Rockets, rookie power forward Julius Randle broke his leg in the midst of the Lakers losing. Four games later, Los Angeles has still not orchestrated a win, allowing teams to score more than 100 points a game. The Lakers have lacked heavily on defense and have shown very little upside on offense. Jeremy Lin has not filled in the role that the Lakers desperately need him to, and Nick Young is emerging as a star in Los Angeles, but he still has a long way to go maturing as a player. Kobe Bryant has a lot on his plate this season, trying to improve a young team and restore a fiery passion. Despite his move on the all-time scoring list, Bryant has been worn down game-by-game and has missed practices. Head coach Byron Scott has made Bryant sit out of games just so his body can recover to its full ability, and without him, the young team has done some soul searching.

The Lakers are 11-24 and 5th in a competitive Pacific Division. The Lakers’ division consists of star-studded teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and arch rivals Los Angeles Clippers. To be in such a strong division, let alone conference, gives Los Angeles a huge learning curve and opportunities to improve. The Lakers lack size, play making ability, and leadership without Bryant, but they also have plenty of positives.

The Lakers have an inexperienced team, which means the sky is the limit when it comes to developing experience. As this fresh-faced squad plays the Chris Pauls and Lebron James, they find their identity and discover their strong points as well as weak ones. With players such as Ryan Kelly, Tarik Black, and Jordan Clarkson, who are first year players, Los Angeles should be able to mold these players and see how they match up against other teams. Young is emerging into an All-Star for this team and can be the anchor for this unit. The bench has also been a factor this year, even outscoring the starting five in some games.

Don’t expect the Lakers to make this incredible rally and make it to the playoffs this season. Los Angeles is in a rebuilding phase and may take some time to turn everything around. Pieces still need to be acquired and be put in the right place for the Lakers to find success. In the meantime, fans can expect this young team to grow and enjoy the future of this organization.

Trajuan Briggs is a Blogger at www.RantSports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.

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