The Lakers Are Relevant Again Now That Kobe Bryant Is Gone
This feels nearly blasphemous to say, but the Los Angeles Lakers were an afterthought last season because of Kobe Bryant. Now that he’s retired, this is a young team that has clawed its way back to relevance with just a little over a dozen games in the books.
Bryant was one of the best to ever do it. No one will ever be Michael Jordan again, but Kobe had his own era. He dominated the NBA, won ring after ring, and he’ll go down as one of the greatest in NBA history. He’s a legend and he earned every bit of it. Few players had his combination of physical skills and a cutthroat attitude.
So this isn’t to knock on Kobe, but the fact remains that he was not the same guy last season. Yes, he exploded in his final game ever, and did you really expect anything less? But he wasn’t the same player who could get wins on his own. He was doing a farewell tour and people were turning out just to see him play — which is great for ticket sales — but he wasn’t bringing home the wins or setting the Lakers up to chase one final title.
If you wanted that, all eyes were on Cleveland and Golden State. That’s where the title talk resided and where it ultimately ended up.
Some have even said that the Lakers only hired head coach Byron Scott because they knew he’d play Kobe as much as Kobe wanted to play. It wouldn’t matter if the team lost or if they should really be focusing on the future. He’d give Kobe the end to his career that he wanted and deserved.
Now, though, the team is changed. Bryant is gone. Scott was fired. The focus is not only on the future, but actively on the present. This team is not worried about getting shots for an aging superstar. It’s worried about winning games.
The young guys, led by D’Angelo Russell, are stepping up. New coach Luke Walton has been called one of the top young coaches in the NBA, with some saying he’s one of the best coaches regardless of age.
Are the Lakers a powerhouse? Certainly not. Even in California, all eyes are still on Golden State. But you don’t rebuild from a player like Kobe overnight. After seeing one of the worst marks in franchise history last season, they’re clearly ternding in the right direction and battling toward playoff relevancy. The NBA is better when the Lakers are good, and that’s finally the path they’re on again.
To see the transformation in one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, check out the great ticket deals we have here at Headline Tickets.
