The Los Angeles Lakers are showing promise, but the real question right now is on whether or not the purple and gold can shine once again after two disastrous seasons.
The Lakers have practically revamped their lineup, save for Kobe Bryant, a couple of sophomores, and some bench players. In all, the Lakers are entering the coming season practically brand new and their chances depend on a lot of things.
There is, of course, the matter of how sophomores Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson can perform as well as how D'Angelo Russell can prove claims that he is (one of) the best point guards in the recent NBA draft.
Then there is Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba is seen by many as a crucial part on how the Lakers will fare this year. Never mind that he is in the last year of his contract; the fact remains that he still has a year to show if he still has it.
He did show in the preseason that he still has the guns, but the real serious issue here is on whether or not Kobe can stay healthy.
Such has been one of the problems of Bryant, resulting in the poor numbers which some have been using to gauge whether the Lakers could be better off with or without Kobe.
His presence is one thing, but there is more to that than meets the eye. Kobe still has to work for his keep and get the team humming. In short, Kobe needs to do the usual things a basketball player does, not just scoring.
The Lakers have not been listed as one of the teams that could make the playoffs, but if the frosh players and the new recruits (Lou Williams, Brandon Bass, and Roy Hibbert) play heads-up basketball, the Lakers could be up there despite the fact that they are in a pretty competitive Western Conference.
