After 20 years of seeing Kobe Bryant suiting up his purple and gold jersey during opening tip-off, tonight will officially be the first game of the post-Kobe era as fans won't see him coming out of the locker room with the Los Angeles Lakers ball club.
However, despite losing an elite player like Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. fans should still look forward to what could be an exciting and surprising season for their team. Their off-season sign-ups and player movement is a step headed in the right direction as they are looking to develop their young talent.
Currently, Lakers roster is a mix of young guns and a few veteran players in the league. CBS Los Angles reports that their team line-up includes Top-2 pick of the NBA draft, Brandon Ingram and their 32nd choice center from Croatia, Ivica Zubac. They've also locked in three second-year players including point guards D'Angelo Russell and Marcelo Huertas, and forward Larry Nance Jr. Three third-year players are also coming back with forward, Julius Randle, shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and big man, Tarik Black.
There are also four new faces in the Purple and Gold ball club with former Cleveland Cavaliers center, Timofey Mozgov, forwards Luol Deng and Thomas Robinson and another point guard, Jose Calderon.
With other teams and fans expecting less from the Lakers, their newly acquired coach and former Laker player and assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, Luke Walton said that he only wants to see effort from his players night-in and night-out.
The Lakers have missed the playoffs for three consecutive years and had a crushing 17-65 record last season, the worst in the team history. Despite that, there are bright spots left and right that should keep fans cheering for their team.
The NBA is getting a lot tougher this year, especially with super teams forming. The future is unknown for the Lakeshow but fans can only hope for a positive outcome.
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Houston Rockets tonight at the Staples Center
