Lakers News: Latest on Nick Young's Resurgence, D'Angelo Russell's Injury, More

The Los Angeles Lakers moved back above .500 on Tuesday night as Nick Young buried a long-range three-pointer with five seconds left to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder. The victory moved the Lake Show to 8-7 as L.A. holds down the seventh seed in the Western Conference during the early going.

Although the current campaign was expected to serve as a transition year between the Kobe Bryant era and the next generation of stars, the Lakers are trying to accelerate the process. So far, there have been enough positive signs to believe that's possible.

With that in mind, let's check out some of the latest news circulating around one of the league's biggest surprises as the quarter pole of the season approaches.

Nick Young's Surge Continues with Game-Winner

Young's clutch triple in the final seconds Tuesday night was merely the spotlight play of what's already been a strong bounce-back season for the guard. He's averaging 14.3 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting a career-best 45.9 percent from the field.

The Lakers needed a lot of things to go right to become a playoff contender. Getting the USC product back to a point where he's a key contributor rather than a lineup drain, as was the case last season, is a major step. His 15.8 player efficiency rating would be the second-highest mark of his career, per Basketball-Reference.com.

In turn, he's starting to earn more trust from the coaching staff. Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com passed along comments from head coach Luke Walton, who explained why he's confident turning to the swingman in those game-breaking moments.

"Obviously, one of the reasons we like Nick on the court at the end of the game is because he is not afraid of the moment," Walton said. "He loves the moment."

The Lakers really don't have a go-to player for crunch time while they wait for the likes of D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle or Brandon Ingram to eventually grow into that role. For now, Young is the best option thanks to his seemingly never-ending supply of self-belief.

Team Will Be Cautious with D'Angelo Russell

Russell missed the highly entertaining victory over Oklahoma City because of lingering soreness in his left knee. While the Lakers hope it's not an issue that leads to an extended absence, it sounds like they are going to play it safe with their point guard.

Mark Medina of the Orange County Register provided some insight from Walton, who admitted there's no reason to take a long-term risk for a short-term gain.

"If he can't go out and play without any restrictions, it's not really worth having him out there right now," the head coach said. "He's too young and his future is too bright to risk that. If he can get out there and play the way we know he can, then obviously we want him on the court."

It's unfortunate timing for a health setback because Russell was playing some of the best basketball of his young career in the early weeks. He's averaging 16.1 points, which ranks second on the Lakers to Lou Williams, and a team-leading 4.8 assists through 13 appearances.

Even though the Lakers' strong start has begun to alter expectations for the season, they still have to keep the big picture in mind. That's why playing it safe with Russell is the right move with hope he can put the nagging issue in the rear-view mirror for good once he returns.

Julius Randle Credits Luke Walton for Early Success

It's far too early to make any definitive statements about Walton's first season leading the Lakers. That said, the early returns suggest he learned a lot from his time with the Golden State Warriors as an assistant to Steve Kerr and an interim head coach while Kerr recovered from a back problem.

The one common trait among all successful coaches is finding ways to utilize players to maximize their potential impacts rather than trying to jam everybody into a rigid system. It's something the Boston Celtics' Brad Stevens has mastered at both the collegiate and pro levels.

Walton is showing similar tendencies during his first months in charge. In turn, Randle gave his coach a shoutout when asked by TMZ Sports about the team's success so far:

The next major test for Walton will be when the Lakers go through their first real skid of the campaign. Losing streaks have obviously been rare for the Warriors in recent years, so getting a team out of a funk is something he doesn't have much experience with yet.

Otherwise, he's handled everything thrown his way quite well, and the Los Angeles front office should be happy with its hire. It certainly sounds like Randle is pleased.