Can the Lakers make the Playoffs this year?

Training camp has begun, and we’re getting our first look at this rather interesting 2015-2016 Lakers squad.

It begins and ends with head coach, Byron Scott, who expects effort and toughness. This is the first year where he is able to assemble his own pieces, to sculpt the team with the vision he has. Interestingly, he now has young players in multiple positions, all of whom will need to compete, against each other, and produce, against the opponent, for playing time. That spirited competition should keep these guys motivated throughout the season, where a Jordan Hill, knowing he was going to start no matter what, would coast through with a lethargy.

Scott made an interesting hire over this off-season by bringing in James Worthy to help coach the frontcourt players and work with the team’s coaching staff while still continuing his duties as basketball analyst for Time Warner Cable Sports Net.

In the last few years sitting behind the desk, fans have been treated to Worthy’s keen, perceptive, and intuitive analysis of the team. He is praiseworthy when the Lakers deserve it, and he is equally as critical when he needs to be. Having his particular insight directly fed to the team throughout the season is going to be invaluable.

There’s an interesting crop of seasoned veterans on the team, with chips on their shoulders and something to prove.

In Kobe Bryant, there’s the opportunity to go into a historical 20th season, and what an amazing denouement it would be if he could lead this youthful squad into the Playoffs. I would imagine there’s something to prove here, the chance to make it through an entire season, perhaps his last, and stay healthy, something he hasn’t done in seemingly an eternity. And if he can get these players to rally behind him, if the Lakers are in the running for a Playoffs spot come April, this may prove to be a marquee season for him in an already legendary career.

I ‘m also thinking about a player like Roy Hibbert, who comes to the Lakers after a Playoffs meltdown in Indiana knowing if he doesn’t make it right here in L.A., he may be on the road to early retirement. Hibbert has begun his training camp showing off a much leaner, more strong physique. He seems up to the challenge.

The return of Metta World Peace is brilliant, and serves so many purposes. A crowd favorite, MWP will keep the fans entertained. He may not be able to statistically perform the way he did a few years ago, but he is an experienced veteran with a Championship pedigree, and will be a coach on the floor, teaching the new guys how to have the right mental and physical toughness to excel.

Cut from the same cloth, with the same grit and work ethic, Bryant has a teammate in his corner in MWP, necessary when things get tough and Kobe draws the line in the sand. World Peace also brings that element of “crazy,” a little “unpredictable” to the game, which can confuse and intimidate opponents. The Lakers teams of the past few years have been soft, but Peace will ensure that no one will intimidate this squad.

The youth on the team this year are incredibly talented in multiple positions. We’ll get to see the talents of the potential phenom in D’Angelo Russell on display in this, his rookie season. Julius Randle is a big-time x-factor. Hampered by an injury that kept him out of basically the entire season last year, this is his chance to show those out there the reason why he was picked 7th in the first round a year before.

In the brief moments we have seen him, I like Randle’s game a lot. He is built strong, so he will not be bullied in the paint, and can easily shed the opponent en route to the basket. He is surprisingly fast for a big man, with a quick and powerful first step. He has a nice touch on his shot. Randle seems so eager to prove that he comes across as being too erratic, too impatient when he plays. Once he settles into a confident rotation knowing he will be playing true minutes, it will be fascinating to see how he blossoms.

Jordan Clarkson is a name people are really talking about. Everyone expects the starting backcourt to be a dynamic duo of Russell and Clarkson. Now entering his second year, he showed flashes of excellence the last quarter of last season, and I think people see a little Stephen Curry. He’s young, but he has incredible growth potential.

When you look at the pieces the organization is quietly assembling, the interesting mix of cagey veterans and talented rookies, a coaching staff with integrity, the answer becomes perfectly clear to me:

Absolutely, the Lakers are going to make the Playoffs this year.