clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Lakers News: Rob Pelinka compares the young Lakers’ development to Taylor Swift, seriously

The Lakers are ready to shake off years of lows.

iHeartRadio Music Awards - Show Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio / Turner

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about new Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, it’s that he likes to tell a good story. Whether it’s how signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is akin to manna from heaven or how Kobe Bryant measures up to historical artists like Michelangelo and Shakespeare, the man captivates with his eccentricity.

Add a new one to Pelinka’s greatest hits. The upbeat Lakers’ general manager joined The Dan Patrick Show Thursday morning and was asked about the timeline he envisions for the Lakers to become a playoff team again.

Pelinka, without pause, decides comparing the Lakers development to that of Taylor Swift was the best way to characterize the young core.

“It’s kind of like if you go on YouTube and you think about Taylor Swift when she was 16 years old, maybe putting her first song. It’s her guitar, it’s her, it’s in a little studio, and you watch it and you listen to it and you say ‘wow, this is going to be a special thing to follow and a really cool narrative to unfold.’

“I have that sense about the Lakers, the way we’re playing in summer league we have this young core of Lonzo Ball, [Kyle] Kuzma, [Josh] Hart and it’s a pass-first system that Luke Walton has designed. I think in an era of guard-play where it’s score, if you look at the great point guards it’s score-score-score, I think we’re switching now into a mode of pass-pass-pass.

“I think it’s gonna be a really cool phenomenon to watch unfold, and much like the trajectory of a young artist that develops,” Pelinka said.

We hope you enjoyed story time with Rob Pelinka, and look forward to the Lakers shaking off the funk they’ve been in for years.

Don’t believe this quote is real? Listen for yourself down below!

So what video did Pelinka want us to find? Searching “Taylor Swift 16 years old” comes up with this as one of the first videos of her performing, which might just be what he was talking about.

Swift, her guitar, and a small studio:

It’s only late-July and this is where we already are.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Silver Screen & Roll Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Los Angeles Lakers news from Silver Screen & Roll