Lakers News: Latest Comments on D'Angelo Russell's Rise, Victory vs. Nets, More

The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to make progress this season after an extended rebuild that coincided with the final years of Kobe Bryant's career. The first 12 games of the campaign suggest the learning curve might not be as steep as expected.

Los Angeles holds a 7-5 record following Tuesday night's triumph over the Brooklyn Nets, including six wins in its past eight games. While it's still early, the mark would currently be good enough to secure a playoff berth as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

New head coach Luke Walton has found success by relying heavily on depth rather than trying to force D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and the team's other young stars to handle too much of the burden too soon. Second overall selection Brandon Ingram is playing just 22 minutes per game so far.

Russell, last year's second overall pick, was the standout performer against Brooklyn. He made seven of his 13 three-point attempts en route to 32 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in the 125-118 victory.

Walton said afterward he believes the point guard is at his best when he brings energy to the game defensively first and foremost, per Mark Medina of the Orange County Register.

"He was active on defense," the head coach said. "That's what I was most impressed and happy with. It feels like every time he has one of these big games, he starts the game making plays for us on the defensive end."

Tuesday's clash with the Nets also brought a renewed vibe of expectation back to the Lakers. After winning just 65 games over the last three years combined, the solid start to this season meant they were expected to handle Brooklyn at home quite comfortably.

It didn't play out that way as defensive lapses allowed the Nets to keep it close. But L.A. rose to the occasion in the second half to get the win.

Greg Beacham of the Associated Press passed along comments from Tarik Black, who tallied 12 points and nine rebounds in only 13 minutes on the court, about the sense of belief within the squad.

"We all love to play this game together, even on nights when it isn't all clicking," Black said. "We didn't care what people were saying about this team before the season started. It's about this locker room. We knew what we had."

It's a locker room that features eight players 25 or younger and seven players 30 or older with nobody in between those two groups. Although those players in the 26-29 range are typically viewed as in their prime, the Lakers have thrived without them thanks to a nice mix of experience and young skill.

Randle, a key piece in that next wave of Lakers stars, talked about the importance of the veteran leadership, something he deemed a "tremendous help," with Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.

"There's times in the game where we may be slacking or whatever it may be and the veterans are quick to stop the bleeding," Randle said. "Not getting too high. If you're on a win streak and you get happy, you can kind of lose that edge. The veterans do a good job of speaking up on that as well."

All told, the Lakers will be one of the most intriguing stories to follow throughout the season. There will be some growing pains along the way, but Walton is already showing a knack for putting players in a position to succeed, similar to what Brad Stevens has done with the Boston Celtics.

Los Angeles' ability to stay in the playoff race will depend on the continued development of Russell, Randle and the rest of that under-26 group. In particular, if Ingram can make noticeable strides and play a more vital role in the season's second half, the budding team will have plenty of upside.