The 2015-2016 Los Angeles Lakers season hasn’t gotten off to the start that most were hoping for. That was a fun five minutes. With Kobe Bryant all but admitting this season will be his last, the Lakers faithful are anxious to anoint a new king, and that has created an environment where every play Russell makes, good or bad, will be magnified. In terms of building the Lakers future, Scott still left much to be desired. It could prove very worthwhile for the next Lakers contender, even if it won’t now. And yes, “incompetent” is an undeniably accurate term to describe his tenure with this team.
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Unfortunately, now Scott and the Lakers are neither winning games nor committing to the future.
On Wednesday, Byron Scott was asked about his decision, and had the following to say.
In a situation in which coaches can truly show their creativity and acumen, Scott’s best offering was an isolation play from the top of the key. However, the game quickly got out of control in the fourth quarter, with the Heat leading by as much as 18.
It’s not just the team’s newfound affinity for bad three-point shots that’s worrisome either, since Scott’s rotations have been downright moronic at times.
The Lakers used the second overall pick in June’s National Basketball Association Draft on D’Angelo Russell, but they aren’t giving him fourth quarter minutes, and Russell can’t explain why.
It marked a far different approach from previous games, when Scott has favored playing Williams late in games because the score was relatively close and Scott has said he prefers Williams’ experience during those stretches in games. Talk about botching Russell’s development early on.
Russell ranks 11th on the Lakers in fourth quarter minutes.
This wasn’t the scenario that most expected, even with Scott’s penchant for making his young players “earn” their minutes. The Lakers lack any standout defenders outside of Roy Hibbert, and try as he might, one man can not plug all of the leaks that spring up throughout the game on a roster filled with young, mistake-prone players and aging veterans.
But wait, there’s more! Tarik-freaking-Black, people! Hibbert may be washed up in the eyes of the public, but he did anchor a top-10 defense in IN last season.
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In fact, if it weren’t for Scott’s relationship with Kobe Bryant, reports about the Lakers head coach being in the hot seat might have already emerged. There’s really no way this story has a happy ending. “I was kind of mad about how it got spun around that it was him that I had problems with – when actually he was the best part of it”. I’ve seen him with his daughters.
