2016-17 NBA Season Preview: How Much Will Los Angeles Lakers Improve Under Luke Walton?

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished with the franchise’s worst regular season record of all time as the team went an abysmal 17-65. Following such an embarrassing display, the Lakers’ front office made some significant changes over the offseason which started with the firing of head coach Byron Scott. Scott went an appalling 38-126 in two seasons in Los Angeles.

Looking to make a splash hire, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and part-owner Jim Buss set their sights on the top assistant coach in the NBA, Luke Walton. Walton got some on-the-job head coaching experience last season with the Golden State Warriors as he filled in as the interim head coach while Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery. All Walton did was lead the Warriors to 24 straight wins to start the season and a 39-4 record before he turned things back over to Kerr.

It wasn’t only Walton’s performance as an assistant for the Warriors that stood out for the Lakers. The team wanted one of their own to become head coach and Luke fit the bill as he was a member of the Lakers from 2003-2012 and won two championships during his tenure. Walton was also a fan favorite despite never averaging more than 11.4 points per game in a single season.

After adding Walton, Kupchak and Buss turned their attention to the 2016 NBA Draft where the Lakers earned the No. 2 overall selection following the NBA Draft Lottery. The organization ended up selecting Duke guard Brandon Ingram who nearly every draft expert had pegged as the second-best player in the draft behind LSU forward Ben Simmons who went No. 1 overall. The Lakers would then add Croatian center Ivica Zubac in the second round.

The Los Angeles Lakers then turned their attention to NBA free agency in order to add some more pieces to the puzzle. Gone from last year’s team are Kobe Bryant, Robert Sacre, Brandon Bass, Roy Hibbert, and Ryan Kelly, but the Lakers replaced them with a better group of players, including Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng, Yi Jianlian, and Thomas Robinson. The Lakers also traded for veteran point guard Jose Calderon.

The Lakers were desperate for an upgrade at center, which led them to overpay for Mozgov as they gave him a four-year, $64 million contract shortly after free agency started on July 1. Mozgov has shown flashes of being an impact player during his career but has struggled to maintain consistency. That being said, he’s certainly an upgrade over Hibbert.

Deng will provide much-needed veteran leadership and scoring and defense on the wing. Los Angeles hasn’t had a player of Deng’s stature play the wing for years and his presence should certainly give the team a boost.

Jianlian is the biggest wild card of the entire offseason for the Lakers. He signed an incentive-laden one-year deal with Los Angeles after spending five years in China and averaging 26.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season. Though numbers are often inflated in China due to the lack of defense, Yi also averaged 20.4 points per game over five contests at the 2016 Rio Olympics. There’s definitely potential with him.

Robinson could also be an under-the-radar signing for Los Angeles. Although he only averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season for the Brooklyn Nets, Robinson had a string of six consecutive double-doubles during the last two weeks of the year when he got the opportunity to start. If he can carry that momentum over, the Lakers might have themselves a major steal as Robinson is just 25-years-old.

According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers’ projected starting lineup looks like this:

PG – D’Angelo Russell

SG – Jordan Clarkson

SF – Luol Deng

PF – Julius Randle

C – Timofey Mozgov

While it isn’t the sexiest starting lineup in the NBA, it’s certainly better than any starting lineup the Lakers have put on the court in the last couple years. Walton has said that he won’t put pressure on Ingram by starting him right away, which will allow him time to get used to the NBA. Also likely coming off the bench will be Jianlian, Robinson, Calderon, Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., Tarik Black, Nick Young, Marcelo Huertas, and Brown.

That would put the Lakers at the NBA maximum roster limit of 15, but the team also has Zubac, Metta World Peace, and undrafted rookies Julian Jacobs and Zach Auguste in camp. While Jacobs and Auguste have to be considered long shots to make the opening night roster, Zubac dominated the Las Vegas Summer League to the tune of 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds on 64.7 percent shooting and looks like he has a serious shot of making the team.

In order for Zubac to make the roster, one of the 15 players mentioned earlier would be left out. Due to depth issues, the three likely candidates would be Black, Young, and Robinson. The previous coaching staff liked what Black gave them in terms of hustle, rebounding, and defense, but he’s a liability on offense. The front office would probably prefer to trade Young as opposed to letting Robinson or Black go if Zubac makes the team.

Looking ahead to the 2016-17 NBA Season, the Los Angeles Lakers should improve with a top-notch head coach and an improved roster. The Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas has the Lakers’ over/under win total at 24.5, but there’s certainly enough talent on this team to win north of 30 games this season.

Record Prediction: 32-50

[Featured Image by Harry How/Getty Images]