Just a few months later, the Lakers look like a completely different team—ready to forget the woes of the past two seasons and try to begin a rebuild years in the making.
The starting five for the Lakers in that loss to the Kings consisted of Ryan Kelly, Jordan Hill, Tarik Black, Vander Blue and Jabari Brown. In Wednesday’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, there will be a whole new group of starters, with youngsters D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle joining veterans Roy Hibbert and Kobe Bryant looking like the group most suited to start.
There are still plenty of reasons for skepticism about the new-look Lakers: Bryant is aging, Hibbert hasn’t been great in recent years and the three young players haven’t established themselves as stars quite yet. But this is the most exciting team the Lakers have put together in quite some time.
With the season opener just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the news for Los Angeles, including injury updates on two of its projected starters.
Kobe Bryant ready for season opener
It has been tough to watch the decline of Kobe Bryant in recent seasons. Winner of five NBA titles, the shooting guard is a Lakers legend and will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
But since being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs in 2013, the Lakers and Bryant have fallen sharply off a cliff. The team has only won 48 total games in two seasons, missing the playoffs both years, and Bryant has been sidelined with injuries, only playing a combined 41 games.
After another season spen...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
