LAKERS

Los Angeles Lakers: Three reasons to watch

AJ Neuharth-Keusch
USA TODAY Sports
Luke Walton poses with D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson at media day at Toyota Sports Center.

With the 2016-17 NBA season on the horizon, USA TODAY Sports highlights the top three reasons to watch all 30 teams. We also recap any significant moves made in the offseason and project how your favorite team will finish.

Watchability ranking: 22nd

What’s different? For the first time since 1996, the Lakers are heading into a season without Kobe Bryant. While replacing his value to the franchise is out of the question, the Lakers spent the summer bringing in pieces to help transition into a new era, including No. 2 overall pick and forward Brandon Ingram, coach Luke Walton and veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov.

KD 2.0: Ingram, a 6-9, 190-pound 19-year-old whose wiry frame and scoring prowess has led to Kevin Durant comparisons, has the necessary tools to be a star, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to shine during his rookie season.

Dawn of a new era: As fans come to terms with the fact that the Black Mamba is no longer, the team that posted a combined 38-126 record over the past two seasons must begin to move forward, with the keys to the franchise in the hands of Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle. Now the distractions of Bryant’s farewell tour are over. Fans might not flock to Staples Center this season, but that also means the young core can develop with reduced expectations.

Kobe Bryant and D'Angelo Russell chat during a game against the Phoenix Suns.

Cool Hand Luke: Just three years removed from his playing days, the 36-year-old Walton is expected to steer one of the NBA’s most storied franchises from its darkest days back to legitimacy. But while this is, technically speaking, his first head-coaching gig, one mustn't forget that Walton played a pivotal role on the sidelines for the Golden State Warriors the past two seasons, particularly in the first half of last year, when the team jumped to a record-breaking 39-4 start, with him at the helm in an interim role.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

(Statistics from 2015-16 season)

  • D'Angelo Russell - Points: 13.2, assists: 3.3, rebounds: 3.4, steals: 1.2, field goal percentage: 41.0%
  • Jordan Clarkson - Points: 15.5, rebounds: 4.0, assists: 2.4, steals: 1.1, field goal percentage: 43.3%
  • Luol Deng (with Miami) - Points: 12.3, rebounds: 6.0, assists: 1.9, steals: 1.0, field goal percentage: 45.5%
  • Julius Randle: Points: 11.3, rebounds: 10.2, assists: 1.8, blocks: 0.4, field goal percentage: 42.9%
  • Timofey Mozgov (with Cleveland) - Points: 6.3, rebounds: 4.4, assists: 0.4, blocks: 0.8, field goal percentage: 56.5%

How good can they be? While we don’t see the Lakers limping to a franchise-low 17 wins for the second consecutive year, we also don’t see them finishing anywhere better than 13th in the West.

USA TODAY’s projection: 24-58

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