The path traveled by the former young talent of the Lakers. Do you miss them?

Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and others are showing that their talent would have been useful in situations like the ones in Los Angeles today.

Los Angeles Lakers They opted for “winning now” with movements, some more successful than others, which aimed to put together Lebron James the best possible talent in search of winning championships and returning the franchise to the success it has not experienced since the glorious days of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Precisely in 2020 they won the championship by uniting a top-level duo such as James and Anthony Davis in a first stage and tried to form a “Big 3” by bringing Russell Westbrook to the franchise.

It is not a new formula for the Lakers, of sacrificing the future to put together the necessary pieces to achieve success without having to embark on a sometimes long and tortuous adventure of player development and reconstruction.

But it is still interesting and at least curious to wonder what would become of the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that is running out of time and fuel this season, counting on all that young talent that he gave up to try to put together a competitive team that pay off in the short term.

Lonzo Ball

One of the key pieces for Anthony Davis to come to the Lakers, spending two years with the New Orleans Pelicans put up acceptable numbers, but not enough to convince as a second pick in a draft (2017).

Ball arrived in 2021 at the Chicago Bulls and it seems that he has found his home. The spotlight is not on him, sticking to his career averages in points and assists per game.

They have, however, improved their shooting efficiency to .567 eFG%, setting their career highs this season in field goals at 42.3% and the same percentage on 3-pointers. He is currently out due to injury.

Brandon Ingram

Like Ball, he was one of the pieces that the Lakers had to give up to get Davis and in his first year out of the Los Angeles franchise he was elected to the All-Star Game in 2020.

Brandon Ingram Tonight 🔥:

19 Points
6 Rebounds
6 assists
11-13FT

PELS WIN 117-107 pic.twitter.com/IosIN68naF

— Ingram Alerts (@IngramAlerts) March 31, 2022

Averaging 23.5 points per game in his three seasons with the Pelicans, he has remained the team’s offensive leader despite the arrivals of Zion Williamson and, more recently, CJ McCollum.

Injuries have only allowed the 24-year-old striker to appear in 52 games so far this season, but with his youth he has plenty to contribute to his six-year career.

kyle kuzma

He was the one who stayed the longest of the young talent acquired in the last five years, forming part of the 2020 champion team.

However, his time came to try other airs thanks to the change in which the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook, one of the most criticized moves in recent seasons.

As eye-catching as the trees along the Tidal Basin. pic.twitter.com/zwPBUuMJp0

—Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 29, 2022

After spending four seasons with Los Angeles, Kuzma is posting his second-highest career scoring average of 17.1 points per game and his best numbers in rebounds (8.5), assists (3.5) and blocks (0.9) per game. .

Josh Hart

Along with Ingram and Ball, he came to the Pelicans in the AD change and although his stay was shorter than the others, he has shown his best level now with the Portland Trail Blazers.

He was the building block for McCollum coming to the Pelicans, and in 13 games with his new team he is averaging 19.9 points per game in 32.1 minutes, a significant increase from his career averages of 9.9 points and 27.3 minutes.

Other young players (or draft picks) involved in the Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook trades: Isaiah Jackson – Indiana Pacers (7.5ppg, 4.1rpg, 13.4mpg) and DeAndre Hunter – Atlanta Hawks (13.5ppg, 3.2rpg, 30mpg).