The Los Angeles Lakers’ new regime in the front office is finally beginning to put its mark on the team. There have been many changes occurring within the organization and many more are likely to come.
Yesterday, it was reported that the team would be bolstering its analytics department, a sub-section of the team which had been widely reported as being outdated under Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak’s leadership.
Today, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report detailed some reported changes that the Lakers will make in their scouting department:
Instead of operating with a single scouting unit, the Lakers will organize into four tiers: college, international, NBA and the NBA Development League (rechristened as the G-League as of the 2017-18 season).
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The Lakers will likely add a couple of scouts focused primarily on studying current NBA players. Director of player personnel Ryan West will work on both the NBA and college scouting tiers.
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The Lakers intend to add one to two scouts who are focused solely on potential call-ups, two-way contracts, training camp and summer league invites from among the NBA’s minor league ranks.
This is all promising to hear. The Lakers’ scouting has not been an issue; they’ve had plenty of success in the draft especially in finding top value for their lower draft picks in the likes of Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Jr., and Ivica Zubac.
Nevertheless, these changes point to a more progressive movement within the organization. As reported by Pincus, it appears as though the structure of the front office will be more collaborative with certain groups being delegated different roles. That’s a positive change, especially as it pertains to the team’s deficiencies in free agency and utilizing the D-League or international leagues to find diamonds in the rough.
There was plenty of skepticism as Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took over in the front office and much of that was fair. No one should overreact into thinking they are saviors for the franchise. But all of their decisions thus far have been pointed in the positive direction.
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