So many questions cannot be fully answered until the Lakers actually start playing basketball in the 2017-18 season.
How much can rookie point guard Lonzo Ball live up to the hype? How much will second-year forward Brandon Ingram grow? Can the Lakers improve enough this season to entice LeBron James, Russell Westbrook or Paul George to join next year?
Despite that uncertainty, Spectrum SportsNet’s Lakers analyst Mike Bresnahan still gives the Lakers’ front office an ‘A-‘ for the moves they made this offseason in the latest episode of the “We Want Tacos” Lakers podcast. The Lakers did not set off any 4th of July fireworks, but they still accomplished plenty of other things.
They dumped expensive salary (Timofey Mozgov’s three-year, $48 million contract). They made some promising draft picks both that were high profile (Ball) and under-the-radar (Kyle Kuzma). They acquired a player that bolstered their backcourt depth without sacrificing cap flexibility (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope).
Bresnahan and I also delved into other topics on the podcast. Bresnahan shared his outlook on Ball winning the NBA’s rookie of the year award. He explained his skepticism the Lakers will have any player make next season’s All-Star team. And he also went down memory lane as a former Lakers beat writer with The Los Angeles Times, and how contrasts with his current gig at Spectrum SportsNet.
Later on, Spectrum SportsNet’s Kelli Tennant, Bresnahan and I analyzed Jordan Clarkson’s upcoming role this season.
Spectrum SportsNet’s Chris McGee, Bresnahan and I then shared how we think the Lakers’ depth chart will shape up.
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mmedina@scng.com. Subscribe to the “We Want Tacos” podcast on iTunes.