Kobe Bryant sees 'a lot of potential' in young Lakers
From announcing that a third Baby Mamba is on the way to meditating in Taiwan, Kobe Bryant has kept fairly busy in the first summer of his retirement.
But on Tuesday, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer caught up with TWC SportsNet and gave some insight regarding the future of the post-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers.
Spoiler alert: Bryant thinks the young Lakers squad — with core players D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle all under the age of 25 — has a lot of potential.
"They have a really young core and a really good core," Bryant said. "Now it's just a matter of them growing together and having those pieces mesh. It's a great opportunity, because now at this age, where their games are still developing, they can develop their games and their strengths around each other. They have a lot of potential, so hopefully they can put it together sooner rather than later."
Leading the charge of young players with high ceilings is Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick from this year's draft.
"He plays with great tempo, great pace," Bryant said of the 6-foot-9, 18-year-old forward. "I like his length. His ball handling ability is very good. He can get to spots on the floor. I think defensively he has the potential to be fantastic as well. He has long arms, long legs, so hopefully he starts really paying attention to that just as much as the things he can do offensively."
As for Russell, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2015 draft, Bryant spoke highly of his offseason progress.
"There's certain things that he's really picked up on. Body positioning, using his size to be able to get to places, recognizing defensive packages and where to position guys on the floor. He's developed very nicely over the summer."
But perhaps the most important young piece of the puzzle in Laker Land is head coach Luke Walton, who was hired in early May after an impressive run on the sidelines with the Golden State Warriors. Bryant — who played alongside Walton for eight seasons — thinks the 36-year-old can help steer the lowly Lakers in the right direction.
"He's gonna have them play the game the right way," Bryant said. "The foundation of the team is going to be a championship foundation. It's not going to be isolation ball. It's going to be a lot of ball movement, but ball movement with purpose. So the players are going to understand why they're moving the ball in certain situations, which then makes you a very dangerous team."
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