With an average age of 24.25 years, the Los Angeles Lakers currently have the third-youngest roster in the NBA, with two rookies in Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma and a second-year 20-year-old in Brandon Ingram all in the starting lineup.
As is the case with any young team, the Lakers have had their struggles early in the season, most recently losing their first three of a four-game road trip.
The Lakers salvaged the road trip by beating the Phoenix Suns 100-93 Monday night in Arizona, putting them at 6-8 on the season.
Before Monday night’s game though, Lakers head coach Luke Walton commented on what his team needs to improve on the most, and he believes it’s the mental facet of the game, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Luke Walton pregame: "The effort level & energy & the defense that we’re talking about is there, it’s the mental part of the game that needs to catch up."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 14, 2017
Walton is right, as mental mistakes like turnovers were something the Lakers really struggled with on this road trip, averaging 19.75 per game.
With very little NBA experience under their belts, the young Lakers are learning each and every game and eventually down the road will begin to show improvement as far as the amount of mental mistakes they make per game.
But for now, the Lakers are a young, talented, but inconsistent team that is going to play around a .500 clip for much of the season.
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