Lakers News: Latest on Kobe Bryant's Status, Julius Randle and More

Something has to change around the reeling 2-11 Los Angeles Lakers. 

That much is clear at face value, as alterations to what coach Byron Scott's team continues to do on the court and the franchise's long-term outlook seem inevitable as Kobe Bryant and Co. shrug their way through another season.

It's been a trying time for the Lakers that might only get worse as they next encounter the 15-0 Golden State Warriors Tuesday, although Bryant said concerning pulling off the upset that he'd "seen stranger things happen," according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes.

Indeed. Heading into that matchup, there's news about Scott's desire for change and a nugget about Bryant himself, so let's take a look.

Scott Expects More from Julius Randle

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

By most accounts, Julius Randle is playing at quite the high level given this year amounts to his rookie season after last year's campaign ended one game in with an injury. 

Over the course of 13 games, Randle is averaging 11.2 points, 8.8 boards and 0.5 blocks with a 12.85 player efficiency rating (PER), according to ESPN.com.

For Scott, though, the film suggests his budding star takes plays off and needs to flaunt better consistency on both ends of the court. He spoke with Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times about the topic:

"

One thing that I've been talking with him about is just playing harder for long periods of time — trying to carry it out there for the whole time he's out there and not taking plays off. The one gift that he has, besides being able to get to the basket, is his quickness and he's got to use that to his full potential.

"

It's interesting Randle pops up as one of the talking points surrounding a two-win team considering the fact he's one of the lone bright spots.

Maybe the talk from Scott shouldn't be such a surprise, though. This season hasn't started as the Lakers would have hoped and keeping Randle hungry in what amounts to a learning experience will help the franchise in the long run.

In that endeavor, Scott might be onto something.

Bryant's Retirement Plans 

While most focus on Bryant's comments concerning his team's chances of picking up a third win against a 15-0 squad, he recently let fly a more interesting nugget while giving a radio interview.

To be blunt, Bryant spoke in a matter-of-fact manner as to whether this was his last season, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News captured:

Bryant returned for this season in the hope that free-agency additions and the meshing of top draft picks from various years would give the Lakers a fighting chance.

It hasn't panned out, but more than anything one has to think the factor Bryant wants to see change is his usage. At 37 years old, Bryant sits tied for the team high with an average of 31.1 minutes per game.

CBSSports.com's Matt Moore provided some context a few days back:

Long story short, it seems Bryant's getting run into the ground as he did last year before suffering injuries.

Or Bryant could just want to win more games. A combination of both couldn't hurt.

The Ball-Movement Conundrum

The Lakers rank 27th in the league with an average of 18.8 assists per game. 

Most possessions down the court, the team's mix of old and new passes the ball around just a few times and then chucks up a shot. Scott was quick to defend Bryant despite his team-high 16.6 attempts per game, though.

“All of us, not just Kobe, everybody on the team needs to do a better job of trusting each other and moving the ball,” Scott said, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “It gets stuck. Every shot we take is a challenge shot under duress. Until our guys trust each other, it’s going to be like that.”

If the Lakers are going to change for the better, both now and into the future, Bryant will need to act as more of a facilitator for those around him. 

With just two wins to their name, it doesn't make sense for Bryant to keep going out and taking his volume-based approach in losses. The future is now for the Lakers, something only Bryant can help make happen.

There are worse ways for a legend to go out, if this is indeed Bryant's last rodeo.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.