Lakers News: Latest on Brandon Ingram's Role, Player Options and More
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the last teams to cut down their roster Monday before starting the season with a 120-114 win Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
D'Angelo Russell scored 20 points, and Jordan Clarkson came off the bench with an impressive 25 points in 24 minutes, which helped to thwart a 34-point effort by James Harden.
Regardless of how the season opener unfolded, fans and anyone familiar with the organization understand this will be a long growing season for a roster of young and veteran talent led by head coach Luke Walton.
With one game in the books, here's a look at the latest news around the team.
The Cut-Down Explanation
Speculation ran rampant in the week leading up to the deadline concerning how the Lakers would trim the roster to meet NBA requirements.
Perhaps the hottest topic was the 36-year-old Metta World Peace, who looked like an expendable piece if it meant the Lakers could keep more young talent to build for the future. Apparently not in the eyes of the organization, though, since his joining the coaching staff was perhaps an idea.
World Peace isn't a free agent or fielding calls from other teams right now because the Lakers decided to keep him on board and let go of Anthony Brown and Yi Jianlian. Walton explained the move, per the team's official Twitter account:
The Lakers won't ask World Peace to do much on the court anymore. But it is clear Walton and the coaching staff value his leadership qualities as they do other veterans such as Luol Deng and Nick Young.
As a transition tool, World Peace is an ideal fit on the bench.
Lineup Developments
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Lakers after the simple trimming of the roster was how Walton would form his lineups and rotations.
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News provided some context Wednesday:
This proved true in the opener, with Brandon Ingram playing all over the floor and tallying nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. Young technically wound up playing starter minutes with 27, though he had an off shooting night, hitting three of his 12 attempts for eight points.
A few months ago, it would have been easy to see Young not even making the final roster. But whether because of Walton or some other factor, Swaggy P had a strong preseason and stuck. He has yet to show his worth on the court in the regular season, but the coaching staff won't give up after one game.
Walton will tweak his lineups throughout the season, but it seems the days of letting young talent sit on the bench in favor of veterans has finally passed. It did lead to a win in the opener, after all.
Player Options
Given the buzz around roster details and actual lineups when the season tipped off, it was easy to forget the Lakers had some decisions to make in terms of player options.
The Lakers went ahead and exercised the team options of Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle underneath the basket, as well as guard D’Angelo Russell, according to the team's official website.
Randle was obvious enough. The No. 7 pick in 2014 played only one game his rookie year due to injury, but he showed strong signs last year with averages of 11.3 points and 10.2 boards. Nance, the 27th pick in 2015, hinted at quality production as a rotational piece, a role that should only grow under Walton this season.
Then there's Russell, the sometimes-maligned guard who came off the board second overall in 2015 before averaging 13.2 points per game. He's the point guard of the future who, in theory, will make a wicked combo with Ingram while Randle and others round out the lineup.
While a mere formality in the grand scheme of things, the Lakers took care of business and assured "the process" (it's not just a Philadelphia thing, folks) keeps moving forward with young stars flashing potential on a nightly basis.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
.jpg?w=600 "Cards Had Wrong Love Number 😅")
.jpg?w=600 "Fans React to Simpson Pick 😱")
.jpg?w=600 "Vet Wideout Landing Spots After Draft 📍")