Los Angeles Lakers: Influx of Young Talent Could Put LAL In A Tough Spot

The Los Angeles Lakers have had issues at point guard since before the Dwight Howard saga, but they may end up with more help than they know what to do with

Not so long ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were in desperate need of help at point guard. Kobe Bryant was still Kobe Bryant, but Derek Fisher was getting to the point where he was seemingly getting run off the floor by the increasingly younger competition.

Thus began the search, with names like Ramon Sessions, Jodie Meeks, Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin all donning purple and gold in an attempt to find the answer for guards like Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving.

Today’s Lakers are bolstered by a handful of young prospects and therein lies a potential problem. There may just be too many guards to really maximize everyone’s potential in a way necessary to get them to title contention.

In less than a year’s time, the prospects who will be handed the keys to the kingdom are Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell.

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Clarkson was one of the few bright spots in an abysmal year last season. Drafted in the second round by the Wizards, Clarkson impressed coach Byron Scott enough to be made a starter in his rookie season.

This year, the biggest acquisition of the summer was Russell who was selected second overall in the NBA Draft. The decision did come with criticism as many believed that Jahlil Okafor was the consensus second pick.

But it seemed that Scott wasn’t sold on Russell, benching him in crucial minutes throughout the season. Only recently has Scott stated that Russell will be a starter for the rest of the year in order for him to develop the best he can.

There is also Ben Simmons who is campaigning to join the Lakers from LSU this season, if the Los Angeles Lakers can manage to win the 2016 NBA Draft lottery. Simmons has been photographed wearing a Magic Johnson jersey around campus and has made statements like “You can catch me on the Lakers next year.”

Simmons, who was a high school teammate of Russell, is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds, and is expected to go first overall in the draft later this year.

Now, those are two – potentially three – young players who are expected to fill Kobe Bryant‘s shoes in a few months. For the sake of this scenario, lets say the Lakers get Simmons this summer. One of the three will be playing primarily off the bench as the anchor of the second unit.

The question, who should it be?

On paper, one would imagine that it is Clarkson. Similar to the Timberwolves, the team theoretically should be putting their top draft picks in the starting lineup. After all, they are passing on every other player in the draft to choose these prospects because they believe they are the future of the franchise.

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That means Clarkson should be the odd man out. Right?

Not necessarily. Last season, Clarkson was given the starting position over the more experienced Jeremy Lin. This year, Scott hasn’t given him any reason to worry about losing his spot as it’s Russell who has been relegated to the bench.

Adding Simmons to the mix makes this picture far more complicated. There’s also the question of how much to invest into pursuing Russell Westbrook in 2017.

The Lakers have been looking for the player to fix all their woes, but they potentially don’t have enough room to let that player shine. Whomever it may be.

The solution may likely involve a trade. Whether the Los Angeles Lakers end up with Simmons or Buddy Hield, there will likely be issues to address in the front court next season. It will be one of their young guards who has the most value on the trade market to help improve the team.

Next: Predicting How The Western Conference Playoff Picture Will Settle

Since their fall from the NBA’s elite, the Lakers have been looking for help. Is it possible that they’ll end up with more than they can use?

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