Podcast: Are the Lakers capable of developing Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball while trying to win now?

Another year, another stretch of games that have Los Angeles Lakers fans wondering whether their coach and organization is capable of properly developing young NBA talent. The other faction of commentary about the team often addresses whether the Lakers should just flip Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball for more immediate help, which also feels somewhat telling.

Today’s podcasts (“The Lake Show” and “Locked on Lakers”) address a lot of this from a variety of angles.

Harrison and I welcomed Mo Dakhil of TheJumpball.net and the Washington Post to discuss where the Lakers stand currently and how he envisions the rest of their season potentially going. Dakhil comes with an extensive history of analyzing the NBA not only from the outside looking in, but also while working in the video department for a couple of NBA teams, which makes him a great source of knowledge on the context under which teams compete.

After our conversation with him, Harrison and I give our thoughts on Luke Walton not playing Lonzo Ball late in games — a trend we were hoping to avoid. You can listen to the full episode here:

On today’s Locked on Lakers, I discussed the continued trend of Brandon Ingram and LeBron James not looking right while on the court together. I know it seems like I picked on Walton quite a bit, but it’s because of how important it is that both Ingram and Ball develop. Outside of James, Ingram and Ball are probably the two most talented players on the roster.

If the Lakers want to reach their full potential this season, it’s going to be because Walton figured out how best to utilize Ingram and Ball alongside James on a consistent basis. Walton and the front office might trust the team’s veterans more, but it’s the Lakers’ youth that will really unlock the organization’s highest ceiling.

As always, this is just a tidbit of the full context given in the shows. Listen to the full discussions below and please check out old episodes, or guarantee you won’t miss any ever again by subscribing to either “The Silver Screen and Roll Podcast” or “Locked on Lakers” on iTunes.