The Los Angeles Lakers don't seem to be getting any better, although head coach Byron Scott continues to try.
His latest tactic is to demote two of the team's alleged future stars — sophomore Julius Randle and rookie D'Angelo Russell. Seeing they are young and lacking in experience, Scott is given the benefit of the doubt as far as experimenting on them is concerned.
Scott relegated the two from starter to the bench but was something that was meant for just 10 days. That expired last Friday, but there is no guarantee that Scott would revert them to their old roles, according to the LA Times.
Scott plans to evaluate the numbers of the two after the move. This early, such seems to have benefited Russell rather than Randle.
The rookie has seen a significant improvement in scoring and passing since coming off the bench. Sadly, Randle has seen a big dip, although there is that ankle injury which could have been a reason as well.
With contrasting results, Scott will do a personal evaluation on the move and the numbers. He did, however, reiterate that stats are not the sole point of bringing both or either back. There were intangibles and how they responded with the experiment so nothing is certain at this point.
Right now, the Lakers have nothing to lose. With a season that doesn't look any different from the past two seasons, the Lakers are well on their way to another disappointing one.
Kobe Bryant will be retiring by the end of the season, and the Lakers will need to find someone new to lead the charges of Scott.
Under normal circumstances, Scott would have been fired by now with his approach. But the top brass may be prolonging their patience for now to see where Scott's direction leads.
If the losing continues, it won't be surprising if Scott is sent packing too.
