After two horrific seasons with a young Los Angeles Lakers team, the organization has decided to part ways with head coach Byron Scott. He was 38-126 during his tenure. The Lakers ranked 30th in defense and 29th in offense this season. These two seasons were the worst ever for the Lakers record-wise.
For the Lakers going forward, this was the right move. All season, Scott didn’t really seem to connect with Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. These three players are the future of the Lakers. It’s understandable that it was Kobe Bryant’s last season and that Scott wanted the spotlight on Bryant, but he didn’t do a great job of developing the young players. There would be games where Russell would be benched because he made a mistake. Scott could’ve done a better job of letting the young players simply play through their mistakes. That’s what young players do; make mistakes.
At the same time, Scott was really in a no-win situation. He was brought in to a situation with not much talent last season. There was talent this season, but nowhere near enough to even have the playoffs in sight. It was the best move for him and the Lakers going forward.
Filling the head coach vacancy is not only important for the young players, but for free agency. Players on the free agent market will take the Lakers into consideration if they have a well-respected coach who can get the job done. Coaches on the Lakers radar are Luke Walton, Mark Jackson, Etore Messina, and others. The front office must look for a head coach that will be able to help development the young talent. It is going to be a process. The Lakers are not going to be serious playoff contenders for a few more years unless they are able to land marquee free agents. With Bryant retired, free agents will definitely be intrigued by the opportunity to become the next franchise players for the Lakers. This upcoming off-season is vital for the Lakers.
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