The Lakers’ young core is coming together, but there are still growing pains ahead

Two seasons ago, Lakers fans watched Kobe Bryant hoist up the last shots of his career while simultaneously witnessing his goodbye tour became an everyday circus. The following year, Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell (both of whom are no longer with the team), were given the keys to the offense. Rebuilding the Lakers to their perennial championship ways wasn’t a priority, and over and over again, the franchise was burned by top-shelf free agents. L.A. was going nowhere fast.

The Lakers have a much clearer — and more stable — direction now though, under Magic Johnson, than they’ve had since Phil Jackson left town. They’re building for the future, and that push is already bearing early fruits. L.A. was ready to live with a lackluster season focusing on development. But some of its pieces are budding early.

This season has already brought L.A. more success by way of stellar individual play from the team’s teens and young-20s than many could have anticipated. A 122-116 win over the NBA’s best team, the Houston Rockets, on the road, encapsulated all of that.

James Harden’s 51 points on 27 shots will secure the win for Houston more times than not. But L.A. had a counter in rookie Kyle Kuzma, who posted a career-high 38 points on 17 shots (he made his first nine in a row). Brandon Ingram chipped in 13 points, six assists and six rebounds, and Lonzo Ball had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists as well.

Those three lead the train to L.A.’s future, and top talent should want to hop on board soon.

He probably won’t win it. The award already has Ben Simmons’ name on it, and if anyone’s knocking on the door, it’s Donovan Mitchell. But Kuzma’s been a consistently excellent scorer. His 38-7-4 night on Wednesday was the second ever line of that nature posted by a Lakers’ rookie.

The first? Magic Johnson.

On the season, he’s averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists. If he entered the league a year ago, Malcolm Brogdon would be trophy-less.

Kuzma is already ahead of schedule because he’s already overachieved what most expect from any near-second round pick. He’s L.A.’s single biggest difference-maker offensively, and the team is outscoring opponents by six more points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor, per NBA stats.

His season is special not because he’s been piling on the numbers, but because he’s doing so efficiently on 50 percent shooting overall, and 38 percent from deep. If he keeps it up, he’ll be the third player to ever do that on at least 100 three-point attempts in his rookie season.

Lonzo’s brutal start to the season will always blemish his rookie campaign, no matter how well he finishes the year. But he’s been considerably better shooting the ball, while maintaining an unreal floor vision and showing signs of a bright defensive future.

Over his past four games (against the Rockets, Cavs, Warriors and Knicks), he’s shooting 11-of-28 from deep and averaging 15 points.

When scouting rookies, it’s always important to remember that very few are even considered league-average players. When a guy like Lonzo starts to heat up over a period of time, that’s notable.

Ingram has stood out as well, shooting five percent better from the field, and six percent better from three since last season. This is all despite an added pressure to score, too, and he’s dropping 16 per game. He’s able to drive to the basket with contact, and pull-up in stride like a coordinated guard. He’s starting to grow into his lanky body, and could be the team’s No. 1 scoring option one day.

This team is still just 10-18 overall. The Lakers are outscored by three points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference, which is the No. 22 net rating in the league. They’re bottom-three offensively. That’s not good if you’re expecting this team to sneak into the playoffs.

But that was always an unfair ask.

L.A.’s average age is 25 years old. That’s the youngest in the NBA excluding a tie with the Trail Blazers, but even that number is unfair given who is actually seeing time on the floor. Among players logging 15 minutes per game or more, the average is 23.

Lakers fans should be satisfied that their front office and coaching staff are in sync with how to rebuild one of the league’s most prestigious franchises from the ground up. Top-level talent was signing elsewhere each summer because of such instability.

But now Los Angeles is giving plenty reason for stars to hop on board. Will one finally ink a deal? The Lakers are gearing up to challenge the West again if they land a star talent this offseason.