Lakers’ Byron Scott: “We don’t trust each other on the floor”

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Mark Medina

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott against Portland, during the second half at the Staples Center. Los Angeles Calif., Sunday, November,22, 2015.
(Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)

The Lakers rank 29th out of 30 NBA teams in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency. Other than that, everything has gone well for the Lakers.

“We don’t have chemistry problems. Our guys get along,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said after practice Friday at the team’s facility in El Segundo. “We just don’t trust each other on the floor.”

Scott then mentioned how the team has several ball-dominant players, including Bryant, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Lou Williams and Nick Young.

“Guys sometimes want the ball in their hands and they don’t trust making passes to other guys. We have to get to the point where the ball doesn’t stick and we find open guys,” Scott said. “When you have young guys that are so used to having the ball, getting rid of it is sometimes an issue. That’s what we’re trying to break.”
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Teammates confident in Kobe Bryant before LA Lakers training camp

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Thuc Nhi Nguyen

The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant didn’t practice Tuesday in Phoenix and may not play in today’s game in New Orleans to preserve his 36-year-old body. Hans Gutknecht ‑ Staff Photographer

The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was cleared for practice earlier this month after tearing his rotator cuff in January. Hans Gutknecht ‑ Staff Photographer

Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. called Kobe Bryant’s mere presence in the room at the Lakers’ media day on Monday “electrifying.”

Bryant commanded the attention of a gym’s worth of reporters, and the 37-year-old was a primary topic of conversation in interviews with other Lakers players as well as he prepares for his 20th NBA season.

Bryant was cleared for practice earlier this month after suffering a right shoulder injury in January. His teammates haven’t seen him in action on the court yet, but they expressed nothing by confidence in Bryant.

“It’s Kobe,” center Tarik Black said. “You know he’s been in the gym. He’s put up a million shots. He’s probably in better shape than even myself. He’s probably going to be able to outrun me because that’s Kobe and that’s what he does.”
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Lakers’ Nick Young says he will make season debut Tuesday

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Evan Barnes

Nick Young was in great spirits after completing his first full practice with the Lakers on Saturday. The jokes were flying as he said he felt comfortable putting up shots and going through the motions for the first time since injuring his right thumb in October.

If all goes to plan, Young is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday when the Lakers face the Atlanta Hawks. Young was quick to share the news with his typical flair.

“The Defensive Player of the Year is here today and he’ll be here Tuesday,” Young said.

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Nick Young returns to first practice since suffering injury

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Mark Medina

On first glance, Nick Young appeared his usual self shooting on the court. Except that was shooting and dribbling with his left hand as his right hand was in a sling.

It was Young’s first appearance since tearing the radial collateral ligament in his thumb guarding Kobe Bryant. He later joined the team for sprints at the end of practice as Byron Scott said it was encouraging to see him run despite the sling. Continue reading “Nick Young returns to first practice since suffering injury” »

Byron Scott plans to ramp up workload when Nick Young returns

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Mark Medina

“Lakers host their annual Media Day in El Segundo, CA. Monday September 29, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)”

A cast stayed wrapped around Nick Young’s right hand as he sat at the scorer’s table. He watched the Lakers practice on Wednesday at the team’s facility in El Segundo, knowing he’d stay sidelined for the next two months. Yet, Scott still stayed positive, his vibrant smile still there as he conversed with teammates afterwards.

Perhaps the only thing unusual entailed Young respectfully declined to talk to reporters, saying “I’m on medication.” But everything else? Young still showed an even-keel demeanor that defines the “Swaggy P” persona. Could anything damper his happy mood?

“I’ll have to shoot him,” Lakers coach Byron Scott joked. “That might not even work. I think that’s permanent.”

Perhaps. But maybe Young’s behavior will change once he returns to practice on Friday. Scott tried forcing Young to participate on Wednesday in defensive and running drills, just as he did for two days after tearing a ligament in his right thumb last Thursday. But Young informed Scott that Lakers trainer Gary Vitti has advised he sit out for now.

“I think he’s pretty happy about it,” Scott said. “But in the long ruin, I’m going to get the last laugh. So it’s going to be happy days for me.”

So will Scott double his workload once Young returns to practice on Friday?

“We have to get him back in shape,” Scott said with a smile. “He’s missed a few days. I told him we can’t let him go backwards. We can’t let that stamina lose. We have to get it back.”

After having surgery on Monday, Young is expected to miss the Lakers’ remaining seven exhibition games and first 14 regular-season contests. According to the Lakers’ initial timetable, Young could return as early as Nov. 26 when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center.

The Lakers are already thin at the small forward spot with injuries to Wesley Johnson (left knee), Ryan Kelly (strained left hamstring) and Xavier Henry (back spasms). Johnson participated in all of Wednesday’s practice and is expected to start when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at Staples Center. Kelly will likely practice beginning Thursday, while Henry has stayed confined to shooting drills.

Kobe Bryant’s back on court for Lakers in exhibition opener

Lakers project Nick Young sidelined for eight weeks after thumb surgery

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

Byron Scott says Nick Young could return 4-6 weeks

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Mark Medina

Within a two-day span, Nick Young’s expected return time shortened by about two weeks.

After his agent anticipated Young missing the next six to eight weeks because of a torn ligament in his right thumb that will require surgery, Lakers coach Byron Scott said on Sunday that he has been told his absence would likely last anywhere between four to six weeks.

The Lakers will not know definitively until Young has surgery with Dr. Steven Shin of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic on Monday.

Young spent Sunday’s practice working on dribbling drills with his left hand and challenging forward Xavier Henry to a foul shooting contest. That entailed Young (left) and Henry (right) shooting with their non-shooting hand. Henry has also stayed sidelined for the past week because of back spasms while also rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee.

“Nothing full court and nothing with running,” Scott said about Henry’s work. “He’s still having a little bit of stiffness. We want to see if we can get that going in the next few days before we get him out there.”
Continue reading “Byron Scott says Nick Young could return 4-6 weeks” »

TWC SportsNet panel discusses Nick Young’s injury

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Mark Medina

The Lakers’ Nick Young reacts after sinking a 3-point shot during their game against the Heat at the Staples Center December 25, 2013. The Heat beat the Lakers 101-95. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Well, that didn’t take long for the Lakers to experience a major injury.

A season after having playing miss a combined 319 games, the Lakers open the 2014-15 season likely to have their most prolific reserve miss a significant chunk of time. Lakers forward Nick Young had an MRI on Friday that revealed a torn ligament in his right thumb, an injury his agent Mark Bartelstein believes will sideline him between six to eight weeks. Presuming Bartelstein’s assessment proves correct once Young has surgery on Monday, such an absence would keep Young off the court for the entire preseason and between 10-17 regular season games.

This all became a topic of discussion Friday night on Time Warner Cable’s Access SportsNet where host Kelli Tennant, analyst Dave Miller and I talked about Young’s absence and the impact it will have on the Lakers.

Lakers’ Byron Scott believes Nick Young could win 6th man of the year

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

Nick Young keeps Lakers’ Media Day entertaining

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Mark Medina

“Lakers Nick Young is all smiles as he does a interview as the LA Lakers host their annual Media Day in El Segundo, CA. Monday September 29, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)”

His loud voice carried across the Lakers’ practice facility. His wide smile instantly created positive energy. His playfulness instantly created laughs among teammates, coaches and reporters alike.

The Lakers will begin training camp on Tuesday, hoping that a healthier Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, Byron’s coaching staff and renewed hunger will scrub away the stench from last season’s 27-55 record, the tram’s worst record in L.A. franchise history. But when it comes toward providing colorful quotes, Nick Young already appears in mid-season form.

After endlessly photobombing teammates’ interviews and playfully talking trash to them during the Lakers’ Media Day on Monday, Young opened up his interview with a heavy dose of bravado.

“I’m feeling great,” said Young, in high spirits two months after the Lakers signed him to a four-year, $24 million deal. “I’m a star. That’s about it.”
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Lakers depth chart breakdown: Nick Young

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Mark Medina

Lakers’ #0 Nick Young shoots from the high post in the first half. The Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers in a regular season game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. April 1, 2014 (Photo by John McCoy / Los Angeles Daily News)

Below is the sixth in a series previewing the story lines surrounding each player on the Lakers’ roster for the 2014-15 season. This post focuses on Lakers forward Nick Young.

1. Will Nick Young start? The tea leaves, as revealed recently by Lakers coach Byron Scott, suggested that Wesley Johnson has the edge at the starting small forward spot over Young. There are plenty of reasons. Johnson’s athleticism and defensive potential could complement an experienced albeit slow-trodden starting lineup. Young’s knack for scoring could spark energy off the bench. But it seems Scott has dangled out his thought process as a carrot to motivate his players and fuel a healthy competition during training camp and beyond.

Regardless of Young’s eventual spot on the Lakers’ depth chart, he should use training camp as an opportunity to prove he will build off of a promising season in which he averaging a team-leading 17.8 points, showed more hunger in developing and kept everyone usually in positive spirits.
Continue reading “Lakers depth chart breakdown: Nick Young” »

Nick Young plays pickup basketball in New York City

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Mark Medina

The step back jumper and Nick Young’s acrobatic celebration afterwards looked familiar. The setting and circumstances in which “Swaggy P” provided more entertainment did not.

After providing doses of feel-good moments in the Lakers’ otherwise disastrous season with prolific scoring and an infectious personality, Young carried those qualities over to New York City in a pick-up basketball game. As shown above on his Instagram account, Young still wore street clothes in what he said involved an impromptu appearance.

“Lol surprise some lil hoopers while driving thru these NY streets,” Young wrote. “Decided to stop and join they 3 on 3 … I had to swag on them tho.”

How will Ryan Kelly fit under Byron Scott’s system?

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

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