Lakers bring new faces to Las Vegas — but Kobe remains

Leave it to Kobe Bryant to put things in their proper perspective when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers.

When asked at the team's media day last month what he can expect from the Lakers in 2015-16, Bryant said: "How the hell do I know? We've got so many new faces. It's impossible to predict."

Exactly.

The Lakers are in Las Vegas on Tuesday for their annual NBA preseason game as they face Sacramento at 7 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden. All eyes will be on Bryant, who is entering his 20th NBA season and the final year on his current deal with L.A.

But the savvy Lakers fan will be watching the future — Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Larry Nance Jr., and see how they perform. They are the long-term future of the franchise, which is coming off the worst season ever at 21-61. The quartet played together during the NBA Summer League in July and looked good at times.

Combining them with a healthy Bryant, who appears to have recovered from shoulder surgery, and recently acquired veterans Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Marcelo Huertas should give fans a cause for optimism, cautious as it may be.

"I'm excited about the group of guys that we've assembled," coach Byron Scott said. "Obviously, our expectations for some of these young guys is high. It all matters on how quickly we can come together."

Bryant said he too is re-energized with the moves the Lakers have made and the young talent on the roster.

"I liked that these guys were in the gym all summer working," he said. "That tells me they're serious about winning."

Scott said he's taking things day-by-day with Bryant and as opening night gets closer, things will come into sharper focus on Bryant's minutes.

"We haven't settled on a hard cap on how many minutes he can handle," he said. "We've talked about it in the summer and we'll have a better idea as we get closer to the season opener."

As for expectations, Scott doesn't have any. But he does have one major goal in mind as his team gets ready for their Oct. 28 opener against Minnesota at the Staples Center on ESPN.

"I want us to be relatively healthy when we start the regular season," Scott said. "Hopefully, we'll have 75 to 80 percent of the offense and defense in place by the end of the preseason."

Bryant concurred.

"Hopefully we'll be healthier than we were," he said. "(Hopefully) we can get through training camp without injuries. That's one. And two, I think the young guys that we have and the energy that they bring is going to be infectious."

Scott said he's coaching this team to win now, regardless of Bryant's future.

"I hope we play a little angrier than we played last year and with a chip on our shoulder," Scott said. "Our goal has always been the same here win a championship. Is that realistic? You guys (in the media) probably say no. But that's still our goal and that's what this organization is all about."

And while the Lakers are a different team, so too are the Kings. Coach George Karl, who was hired in February after Mike Malone and then interim coach Tyrone Corbin were fired, starts his first full season.

Karl has an interesting group of personalities to deal with. Rajon Rondo was brought in to bolster the backcourt and veterans Caron Butler, Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos were also added to a core that is built around center DeMarcus Cousins, forward Rudy Gay and guard Ben McLemore. And Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein was drafted to complement Cousins.

Karl's challenge? To get these divergent personalities to mesh and bring out the best in each other's game. Sounds a lot like the Lakers, actually. And with the Lakers, it always begins and ends with Bryant. He knows the questions about his future will be asked at every road stop the Lakers make and he said he is doing his best to be patient. But for Bryant, it's the present on the court that he's focusing on.

"I don't dwell on it too much," Bryant said of retirement. "If it is, it is. If it isn't, I'll be ready for next season. I don't spend too much time thinking about it. I've got enough to think about."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj