Biggest Changes Byron Scott Must Make to Succeed as Los Angeles Lakers Coach

The Los Angeles Lakers hired Byron Scott last summer with hopes of righting a badly listing ship.

So far, that has not happened.

With a winning percentage of just .265, Scott's first season as head coach in L.A. is shaping up to be even worse than that of his much-beleaguered predecessor, Mike D'Antoni. In fact, it will likely be the lowliest season in Lakers franchise history.

Changes clearly have to be made.

There are things Scott has done well, such as developing and encouraging some of his youngest and most impressionable players.

And his insistence on prioritizing defensive fundamentals would seem to be a positive and necessary step were it not for the fact that the Lakers have had one of the worst defenses in the NBA all season long.

The roster certainly plays a part, but signing new players is not Scott's job.

It is time to look at some obtainable keys to future success.

Embrace the Modern NBA

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Scott takes pride in an old-school approach to coaching. But success also means being open-minded to the evolving game of basketball.

During his introductory press conference, per Lakers.com, Scott stated his intention to use aspects of the Princeton offense that he has employed throughout his coaching career: "The Princeton offense, you have to know how to play the game of basketball. It's like the triangle, a lot of similarities."

The Princeton, which first came into vogue in the 1930s, hasn't worked out so well for the Lakers so far.

Scott also announced his disdain for excessive three-point shooting early in the season, saying, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: "I don't believe it wins championships. It gets you to the playoffs."

This season, the Lakers won't win a championship or get to the playoffs.

And more recently, Scott dismissed that "newfangled thing" called analytics, saying, per Bill Oram of the Orange County Register: "I think we've got a few guys who believe in it. I'm not one of them."

If Scott wants to be successful with the Lakers, he'll have to keep an open mind.

That doesn't mean he has to become a small-ball acolyte or completely abandon the art of the grind.

But adaptability is good, and inflexibility is not.

Hire an Offensive Coordinator

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Currently averaging 98.7 points per game, the Lakers won't be mistaken for a scoring juggernaut anytime soon. 

This shouldn't come as a surprise—Scott's deliberate style of offense is diametrically opposed to the score-first, open-court mentality of his predecessor, D'Antoni.

Coaches often surround themselves with those who share common principles, and this is certainly true in Scott's case. His front row of support consists of lead assistant coach Paul Pressey, who sits to his right, and assistant coaches Jim Eyen and Mark Madsen, who sit to his left.

Pressey's emphasis includes defense and player relations while Eyen focuses on defense and game preparation. Madsen works with the team's big men and is also a liaison between the coaching and analytics staffs.

If there is one unifying philosophy under Scott, it is that defense comes first and that good defense leads to offense.

Unfortunately, the Lakers' defensive efficiency of 107.2 is the third-worst in the league, and their offense is a staid combination of Princeton back-screens, a limited amount of pick-and-roll and ISO-heavy sets during crunch-time situations. 

It's time to break out of the box and bring in some extra help. Because it is OK to admit you don't have all the answers—the mark of an effective leader is recognizing one's own weaknesses as well as strengths.

It's impossible to predict who might be available and willing to take an assistant seat next season.

But interesting candidates might include Jacque Vaughn, who was recently dismissed as head coach of the Orlando Magic, Eric Musselman, who coached the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings in the past, and Wes Unseld Jr., who worked as an assistant with the Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors,

Or what about hiring Steve Nash, who officially announced his retirement as a player on March 21?

Nash didn't get to play much during three seasons with the Lakers due to chronic injuries.

But wouldn't it be interesting to see what one of the NBA's most brilliant offensive minds could accomplish from the bench?

Accept the Collaborative Spirit

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Success has to be a two-way street. After all, a coach can dictate from the sideline, but it's the players on the court who actually score the ball on one end and attempt to stop it on the other.

This means listening and talking while embracing the collaborative spirit.

In 2013, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs summed up his philosophy in an NBA.com article by Sekou Smith about the hiring of Mike Budenholzer by the Atlanta Hawks:

"

If everybody feels empowered that they can, without fear, give their opinion on something and it doesn't affect their position, now you have something powerful working for your organization and now those ideas are out there and they can be taken and they can be used and we don't give a damn where the idea came from.

"

Steve Kerr, in his very first year as a head coach with the Golden State Warriors, said recently, per Yahoo Sports Video: "I never wanted a coach who was a know-it-all, and one of the things that was pretty common with the best coaches I played with was that it was a collaborative effort."

But Scott is more of a "my way or the highway" type. After practice on February 3, per Lakers.com, the coach was asked about a benching not sitting well with Nick Young.

"I don't care if it sits well or not," responded Scott. "You know how I feel, I don't care if it sits well or not."

When subsequently asked if players today are more sensitive to having minutes taken away, Scott said: "They are, they're a lot more sensitive. It doesn't bother me one way or another to be honest with you."

A good coach doesn't cater to the whims of his players.

But communication is the key to success, and this is something Scott needs to improve on.

Keep the Criticism In-House

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Too often this season, Scott has used the public forum to criticize his players. This seems to stand in contrast to an unwillingness to confront them in person.

After benching Carlos Boozer early in the season, the head coach said, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: "I don't have to go to players and talk to them. At least I don't make a point to."

Scott uses Assistant Coach Pressey for such matters. During an interview with Lakers.com, Pressey described one of his major duties as "putting out the little fires," such as dealing with players who are unhappy with their roles.

"That's one of those things that I have to do so he doesn't have to deal with that," elaborated Pressey.

But Scott seems more than happy to address his players' roles through the media.

"I don't know how you get out of making bad decisions,” said Scott about point guard Jeremy Lin recently, per Medina. "All we can continue to do is point them out to him, watch film and have him just learn from those experiences in making those bad decisions."

And then there's the nearly constant bombardment of Young, including gems like, "What I want him to be is a complete basketball player, not just a one-hit wonder," per Serena Winters of Lakers Nation.

There is no doubt that this has been a frustrating first season as head coach of the Lakers for Scott.

But keeping criticism in-house would be a positive change for the future.

Understand What Kobe Bryant Can and Cannot Do

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Scott has a long and positive relationship with aging superstar Kobe Bryant.

But he badly misjudged what Bryant could deliver this season.

The 19-year veteran was eager to return to action after serious back-to-back injuries. And Scott was all too willing to run his shooting guard into the ground—37 minutes per game in November and 34.2 in December.

But by the end of December, the battered 36-year-old was entering into a pattern of increasingly rare game appearances until he went out for the remainder of the season in January with a torn rotator cuff that required surgery.

But even before that injury, Scott admitted fault for his over-reliance on a player who was breaking down before everyone's eyes.

"You try to move away from it and forget about it," Scott said, per Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. "But it's hard to do when you have a guy you care about so much and you think you kind of messed up. I think I played him too much early."

That's water under the bridge now, and Scott will have to be wiser when next fall rolls along.

Entering his 20th and presumably final season in the NBA, Bryant has to be put in a position to be productive while lasting as many games as possible. 

Scott needs to understand what Bryant can and cannot do at this late stage in his career. The sands of time are running out.

This has been a tough first year for the Lakers' latest coach. Between injuries and a generally weak roster, he hasn't been dealt a strong hand of cards.

But that's life in the NBA, and it is on him to be less rigid, more collaborative and more accepting of change.

And he also needs to send Bryant out on a high note.