LOS ANGELESFor the first time in two decades, the Los Angeles Lakers gathered together for training camp in late September without future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant on the roster.Expectations among the players were mixed. Veteran center Timofey Mozgov said the Lakers "Have to go into the playoffs." Second-year forward Larry Nance Jr. reflected, "As long as we see improvement, and we all play the right way...that's a success."Eighty-two games have come and gone, and the Lakers (26-56) finished with the third-worst record in the NBA. A late five-game winning streak teased the progress made, although it hurt the team's positioning in what will be their fourth straight draft lottery."It would have been so easy to just mail it in," Nance said seven months later. "I feel really good about it. It seems weird. I feel really good about the season right now because we showed what we can do and what we will become."With order restored in the front office, the Lakers seem to finally have clear direction. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka replaced executives Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak, who were let go in late February. They inherit a roster of talented, young players who haven't yet figured out how to win games on a consistent basis.The team will have some spending power over the next summer or two, but the Lakers still have over-30 veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov under contract for the next three seasons at a combined $102 million. Additionally, the Lakers still owe draft considerations for ancient trades gone bad for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.Still, the family drama between co-owners Jeanie Buss and Jim Buss has been resolved, and that represents a significant step forward."You can tell it's going to be a brighter future from last year...it was just a bad vibe, bad year," veteran scorer Nick Young said. "This year, you can feel things are moving in the right direction, especially with Pelinka and Magic coming in and Luke, who was a big move for the Lakers."Tasked with improving the team's roster, Johnson and Pelinka stressed their players make a commitment to excellence. As Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times describes, the new front office believes the Lakers will be a destination once again:"I think there's a clear vision of where we want to go and what we want to do, and I think that's something that maybe we didn't have before," power forward Julius Randle said.The message is clear to the players: If they want to be a part of the future, they need to be fully committed."I kind of got the sense that if you're not all in, this might not be the place for you," Nance said. "I'm super excited because I know I can't wait to work."Last season, former coach Byron Scott struggled to connect with the team's youthful contingent, especially guard D'Angelo Russell. Judging by how glowingly the players spoke of Walton, the Lakers took a major step forward with their rookie head coach."I think Luke is one of the best coaches for this new era of basketball," Young said. "He communicates with his players [well] and he gives people leeway."Both guard Jordan Clarkson and rookie forward Brandon Ingram called Walton a players' coach."Even when I wasn't playing, Luke was giving me the attention as if I was a starter," forward Thomas Robinson said.One of Walton's strengths was giving his players the chance to succeed."He gave me the freedom to call plays," said guard Tyler Ennis, who the team acquired in February from the Houston Rockets."I think this is honestly the first time that I was able to come into a team and get a fair shot and a fair opportunity," he continued. "Outside of all the politics and everything else that goes on in the NBA, I think this is the one stop where they gave me a chance and they believed in me."Walton had a similar impact on center Tarik Black."I said 'grant me an opportunity to get better, a fair opportunity to prove myself in the NBA,'" Black said. "That established so much confidence in me, not only for my belief in this organization [and] my belief in him as a coach, but belief in myself."Young scored a career-low 7.3 points per game last season, but Walton gave him the chance to revive his career. He started 60 games while averaging 13.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting from three-point range."I'm going to send him a Rolex this year, send him on a cruise," Young said. "I owe him...I'm Swaggy P again. Ya'll love me again."In addition to their new coach, the players were excited about the growth of Ingram, who shot just 34.4 percent from the field in November but progressed to 51.7 percent in March."At the beginning of the year, I think we can all agree that [Ingram] was having a rough time. The way he finished the season after the All-Star break, it was a completely different dude," Nance said. "On the court, off the court, he had so much more confidence and swagger about himself. It was really impressive to see."Almost everyone on the roster praised Ingram on Thursday, whose nickname in the locker room is Tiny Dog."I've been telling him ever since All-Star break, this is Tiny's town," Young said. "This isn't B.I. of November. This is B.I. of March, dunking on people.""In the beginning of the year, I used to make fun of him...he'd look like a string bean and double-pump it like a lot of times when he's going to the rim and trying to finish," Clarkson said. "Then you see towards the end of the year he's going to the rack strong, keeping the ball high, finishing, dunking on people, and you see his mid-post game grow. I think he's going to be a great player in this league."Pelinka, who was Bryant's longtime agent, said he expects Ingram and the retired All-Star to collaborate this offseason."That's something that came up in the meeting," Ingram said. "I plan on working out with [Bryant]."As Serena Winters of LakersNation.comtweeted, the Lakers have high expectations for their young forward:Ingram wasn't the only player to improve."Julius [Randle] and D'Angelo [Russell] are both working hard and getting better," forward Corey Brewer said. "Nance is really evolving as a player. He worked on his jump shot, started making threes. Big [Ivica Zubac] is going to be a really good player. He's young, and the way he's developing, he's going to be really good."After 56 losses, it's difficult to overlook the negatives of another lost season. Even Mozgov, who the team sat for most of the latter part of the season to play young players, offered a positive outlook."Even a season like that, you are still learning," he said. "You learn how to lose the right way. I think if you lost and you still played hard, smart and the way the coach wanted you to play, you still win. Not today, but it's still a win for tomorrow."Walton felt energized after his debut season, despite the grind."To me, we had growth, and that's what we were looking for," he said. "We weren't going to win a championship this year, we all knew that. The message going into training camp wasn't the number of games we would win, it was about starting to build a foundation and starting to create winning habits and a winning culture."The Lakers have a lot of young, dynamic players. If they can't lure an All-Star through free agency, trade or the draft, they'll need to bring out the best in the talent they do have."D'Angelo is terrific. [Ingram] is a going to be a terror. He's going to awesome. [Clarkson] can score the ball at will. [Randle] is a beast. [Zubac] is going to be the next Marc Gasol," Nance said.Developing young talent can be a long, painful process, but the Lakers will be better for what they went through this past season.Pelinka also saw success in the crowd at Staples Center, cheering on their team's five-game winning streak despite all the losing that came before."Our fans are excited about our young players, and I think we have such loyal fans, and that's something that really motivates me," Pelinka said. "We have an obligation to deliver winning and championships to them."While many fans celebrated the late wins, two longtime season ticket holders sitting in the first row behind the court-side seats sat exasperated after Russell's buzzer-beating game-winner over the Minnesota Timberwolves (110-109) last Sunday. As the crowd filtered out, they sat dejected, bemoaning the setback in lottery standings.If the Lakers season was indeed successful, it's in the abstract. The team won just 26 games. The future remains uncertain. Can the team lure potential free agents like Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin or trade for the likes of Paul George or Jimmy Butler'In the absence of a blockbuster acquisition, can the team's youth grow into a winning product' Johnson and Pelinka face significant challenges ahead as they look to guide the franchise back to prominence.One of the team's most thoughtful players gave a wise perspective on the Lakers' challenging journey of the past few years and what lies ahead."With the seasons that we've had, I think it's building us to something that's going to feel so good once we get there. Not only will it feel goodit will be appreciated," Black said. "That's what matters: The appreciation and gratefulness for the moment teach you how to get there again and again and again."Lakers Insider NotebookFree agents and a Farewell to Metta World PeaceThe Lakers have 12 of their 15 players under contract for next season, but not all are guaranteed to return. Young can opt out of hisdeal ($5.7 million). Black's $6.7 million isn't guaranteed, and the Lakers have an option on David Nwaba's $1.3 million."I've got to do whatever it takes to remain a Laker," Nwaba said.Young said he hasn't decided yet, but it sounded like he was leaning toward opting out."At my age [31], I don't know if I want to sit around and wait for a team to progress and grow," he said. "I kind of want to be on a playoff team and see what happens."Robinson, Ennis and World Peace are unrestricted free agents."I think they were pleased with what I did and happy with what I brought to the team," Ennis said. "I obviously want to continue being a Laker. At this point, it's out of my hands, but I hope the front office and my agent are able to get it done."The future is a bit more ambiguous for veteran forward Thomas Robinson."They didn't say they didn't want me back; they didn't say that I was going to come back, either," Robinson said, though he said he would love to return.One guy who will likely not be here as a player next year is World Peace."Magic said they're probably not going to bring me back," World Peacesaid, who had hoped to have a chance to stay with the team another season.World Peace made 25 appearances for the Lakers this season, averaging just 2.3 points per game. One of the highlights of his season was an 18-point performance Tuesday in a 108-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans."Metta's more than just a player that I coachedhe's a friend. He's an old teammate, we won a championship together," Walton said. "He's one of the Laker favorites, and for me, my first year coaching, he was a tremendous help in helping guide and mentor these young guys from the locker room."Whether World Peace looks to continue his playing career elsewhere (either in or outside the NBA) or join the Lakers' coaching staff, he'll always be remembered in Los Angeles for helping the Lakers win the 2009-10 championship, hitting a big three-point shot late in Game 7 against the rival Boston Celtics."We'd love to have him back [in a different capacity]," Walton said. "Come back and talk to us and see how you can be around and continue to help these young guys."Draft Picks and Summer LeagueThe next time the Lakers take the court will be in early July in Las Vegas as part of the NBA's summer league.Ingram, Zubac and Nwaba all said they are committed to playing with the squad.The Lakers will presumably have their draft picks make their debut in summer, although it's unclear what selections they'll have June 22.The team owes its first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers to close out the Nash trade, provided it's not a top-three selection. The Lakers have a 46.9 percent chance of keeping their pick in the May 16 draft lottery."I think you have to be prepared for whatever scenario when you're looking at a random event like the lottery," Pelinka said. "I think we're prepared to have [the pick], and we also have a plan if we don't."Additionally, Los Angeles owes its 2019 first-rounder to the Orlando Magic for the Howard trade in 2012.If the Lakers are lucky in the lottery, they will send their first-round pick (unprotected) to Philadelphia in 2018. Instead of owing the 2019 pick to the Magic, they'll send the 33rd overall selection in June, along with a 2018 second-rounder.Finally, the Lakers acquired the Houston Rockets' first (28th) at the trade deadline in the Lou Williams/Corey Brewer deal.The Lakers will have two picks in the 2017 draft, but the quality will depend heavily on the basketball gods. They'll either draft top-three and 28th, or they'll choose at 28th and 33rd.Regardless, that's two additional players expected to help fill out the summer-league roster.ExtrasOn the prospect of the Lakers drafting UCLA guard Lonzo Ball:"If they get the top three pick, you might have the Ball family come in here talking crazy," Young said. "Kind of hard when you have a Ball family and Swaggy P talking crazy. It's kind of too much."On playing for Magic Johnson:"When I was parking my car next to Magic's car, I was like, 'Oh man, I'm parking my car next to Magic's car,'" Zubac said. "I'm living the dream."On the weather in Los Angeles, which saw more rain than in recent years:"I love L.A. [There's] always sun. Well not this year, but it's still better than Cleveland," said Mozgov, formerly with the Cavaliers. "The weather even when it's cold here it's good weather to me, I love it."On driving in Los Angeles:"Traffic is crazy, that's for sure. We don't have that kind of traffic in Croatia," Zubac said.On Brewer's league-leading iron-man streak of 277 games:"Some guys need rest. I'm not going to lie, but for me, I'm just not one of those guys," Brewer said.On future goals:"I really hope to, whether it's next year, the year after, or even the year after that, I want to be a guy that's in the Defensive Player of the Year discussions," Nance said. "I think I have the ability, and that's part of that pursuit of excellence."On the type of players the Lakers want to bring in:"There's going to be a very high value for us on guys of character, guys of integrity and guys of a high basketball knowledge. Those are really important things to Coach Walton," Pelinka said.On starting at center next season:"I mean, I know I can start. I already started a few games," Zubac said. "I think going into training camp, I'm going to have to prove myself again.""I don't think Zu is ready to be a starter," Mozgov said.All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.comand follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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