Lakers Media Day 2016: Top Interviews, Photos, Video and Reaction

Fans got their first look at the Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers during the team's media day Monday.

With Bryant retired, the Lakers are embarking on a new era. The franchise isn't in a complete rebuild, though, having spent a combined $136 million on Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng in the summer.

Still, the Lakers' focus in head coach Luke Walton's first season on the sideline will be developing younger stars and building a contender for the long term.

The team shared a photo of three of its brightest talents, 20-year-old point guard D'Angelo Russell, 24-year-old shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and 21-year-old power forward Julius Randle:

It's unrealistic to expect any one player to single-handedly fill the void Bryant's retirement left. For 20 years, Bryant was the center of attention in Los Angeles. Even in his final season, when he was well below his peak, he ranked fourth in the NBA in usage rate (32.2 percent), per Basketball-Reference.com.

Walton is waiting to see which player or players step up to compensate for Kobe's absence, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:

Clarkson is excited to be a part of the Lakers' next generation.

"I think it's going to be fun," he said, per the Los Angeles Times' Jesse Dougherty. "We're a whole new group. A young, talented group of guys coming together."

Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times shared a clip of Russell highlighting the positive changes he sees with Bryant gone:

Nick Young, on the other hand, misses Bryant's presence, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press:

Like Clarkson, Russell and Randle, Brandon Ingram will be another key piece of Los Angeles' long-term outlook, but expectations are tempered for the No. 2 overall pick in his rookie year. He'll have to beat out Deng for minutes at the 3, and Randle and Larry Nance Jr. will limit his chances of playing power forward.

Ingram said coming off the bench could benefit his overall development, per Joey Ramirez of the team's official website. "I think if (a starting spot) was given, it wouldn't drive me as much to be the best player I could be. Just coming off the bench and showing that I can be one of the best players on the floor, it gives me motivation to work hard each and every day."

Walton hasn't ruled out the potential of Ingram starting ahead of Deng, per Lakers Nation.

"If he's the best player on the court, he's going to start," the coach said.

According to Medina, Deng envisions making an impact beyond his performance on the court:

Figuring out how to rotate Deng and Ingram will be one of the many tasks for Walton in the year ahead.

The 36-year-old guided the Golden State Warriors to a 39-4 record in head coach Steve Kerr's absence last year, but he is still inexperienced as an NBA coach. Media day gave Walton a peek at what to expect during the regular season in terms of attention.

Dougherty shared a photo of Walton being swarmed by reporters:

Walton discussed how he's not going to be overawed by rising in the coaching ranks so quickly and leading a franchise with the Lakers' history, per NBC Los Angeles' Shahan Ahmed:

Walton at least doesn't have to worry about winning over Los Angeles' young players.

Center Tarik Black, 24, called Walton's hiring a "blessing from God," per Harrison Faigen of SB Nation's Silver Screen and Roll.

Clarkson welcomed the switch from former head coach Byron Scott to Walton.

"He really changed the vibe for us," Clarkson said, per Faigen. "Made the game fun, as well as teaching us a lot as well."

Clarkson also dismissed any notion the former 10-year veteran still has what it takes to keep up with his players on the court, as Thiry shared:

This time last year, Scott mentioned the Lakers' goal was to win the championship despite coming off a 21-win campaign. Los Angeles wound up winning 17 games in 2015-16—the fewest in franchise history.

In recent years, the Lakers hoped they could attract the biggest names on the free-agent market and skip over any transitional phase as Bryant neared the end of his career. Now, the front office has little choice but to embrace the future.

Few fans will expect the team to make a playoff push in 2016-17. According to Odds Shark, the Lakers' over/under mark is 24.5 wins.

While Los Angeles likely has a few lean years ahead, the team is assembling the pieces to get back to its glory days, and media day offered a good showcase for the new-look Lakers.