Voices

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Lakers Voices: Isaiah Thomas

At the beginning of his rookie season, Ivica Zubac had trouble simply keeping his cardio up on the court.

Five months later, the recently-turned 20-year-old literally looks like a different person.

Zubac weighed 282 pounds in December but has lost 24 of them in the short amount of time since.

“I can run way more,” Zubac said during his Lakers Voices chat on Thursday. “I’m playing a lot more minutes now. In the beginning of the season if I entered the game and played three minutes — that would be it. … Now I’m feeling great.”

He’s also playing pretty well, especially since joining the Lakers’ starting lineup two weeks ago.

Zubac currently leads this year’s rookie class in field goal percentage (54.2) and became the franchise’s youngest player with a 25-point double-double on March 13.

Much of this progression began in the weight room, where Zubac has been the team’s most frequent visitor.

Strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco keeps a leaderboard based on how many workouts each player does for each part of his body. Zubac currently sits at the top of the list and has a goal to stay up there for at least three seasons.

“My biggest focus this summer is my body,” Zubac said. “I want to get stronger. I want to get slimmer. I’m already slimmer, but I want to get some muscles so I can fight all these guys in the post.”

Zubac has other plans for his game this summer, which include diversifying his skill set a la Marc Gasol, whom Zubac says he models his game after.

Year two of Zu promises to be an intriguing one as he continues to get used to the speed of the NBA. But, in the town that once cheered for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the most intriguing development will be that of his skyhook.

Zubac has worked throughout the year on this shot with the Lakers’ legendary adviser, Bill Bertka, who mentored Abdul-Jabbar and other Lakers bigs. Zubac says that next season will be his turn to break out the skyhook.

"I don't feel like I'm ready to use it in a game," Zubac said. "I want to work on it a lot to be sure in that shot; to shoot it with confidence so I know I can make that shot."

Ingram Uncertain
Zubac’s fellow rookie, Brandon Ingram, did not finish Thursday’s practice due to right patellar tendinitis.

Ingram, who has scored double figures in nine straight games while averaging 15.2 points, will have his status for Friday’s game determined that day.

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Zubac Discusses Rookie Growth, Future Plans

After playing a total of 14 minutes last year, Julius Randle has added value to the lessons learned in his first full season.

The 21-year-old ranks 10th in the NBA in rebounds (10.2) and 14th in 34 double-doubles, but he is more focused on the growth he has made.

“I definitely learned a lot, but there’s no greater teacher than experience,” Randle said during his Lakers Voices session on Monday.

With Randle’s childhood hero, Kobe Bryant, retiring in only six games, he and his fellow young Lakers — specifically D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson — are hoping to provide a turnaround for this franchise, which will miss the playoffs for the third straight year.

“We know there are steps we have to take to get better individually and collectively,” Randle said. “I think we’re doing the necessary things to get there. From the beginning of the season to now, I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress.”

For Randle, more progress means immediately getting back to work when the season ends.

“I know when the season ends you’re supposed to take some time (off) to let your body heal, but I’m kind of feeling like I’m ready to get back to it and get to work,” Randle said. “I guess that’s kind of the perk of being 21.”

But before it reaches this point, Randle and co. will say goodbye to the man who has led the Lakers for the past two decades.

“I was a huge, huge, huge fan of (Bryant),” Randle said. “He was the guy that I looked up to. Just from his mentality standpoint and how he played the game with such tenacity. You could tell he was head (and shoulders) over guys from a skills standpoint.”

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Randle Readies for Final Week, Offseason

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Lakers Voices: Julius Randle (04/04/16)

D’Angelo Russell has only played in the NBA for four months, but he has already seen as much as many of his peers due to the ride that comes with being drafted second overall to a team with as much history, and expectation, as the Lakers.

In his Lakers Voices session on Monday, Russell acknowledged the brief lifespan of the average NBA career, which is about four years.

Though he maintained that lasting even that long isn’t a given, he also expressed the desire to have a lengthy tenure, like the 20-year run by his teammate, Kobe Bryant.

“Getting here was an accomplishment,” Russell said. “Staying is the hardest part. If I could stay here for half of the years he’s been here and do what he did, I’d be honored to do that.”

For now, though, Russell is focused on simply playing well on a nightly basis.

He has averaged 19.5 points in 11 games back in the starting lineup, but is cautious to label any singular game as a turning point.

“A coming-out party is when you figure out with consistency what you do in this league,” Russell said. “If you play a good game and then five bad games, where was the coming-out party? If you string them together, then you can say that.”

Nonetheless, one of those notable performances came against the Lakers’ next opponent — Sacramento — back on Jan. 7, when he dropped 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

This game stood out to Russell himself due to the player guarding him, Rajon Rondo. Both players hail from Louisville, where Russell grew up constantly being compared to the four-time All-Star.

“Every time he would come watch me play, I would play terribly and never live up to what people were saying about me,” Russell said. “I don’t know if he watched me in college or anything, but that was my first time playing against him and making my presence known there.”

While Russell has big plans for the future, including becoming an All-Star within the next three years, he is more locked into the present.

He started for the first 20 games of the year, but then had to learn from the bench for more than two months. Now, he’s determined to keep moving forward within the starting five.

“I had an opportunity earlier in the season, but I don’t feel like I kind of worked for it,” Russell said. “It was kind of given to me. Throughout my whole life, I’ve worked for everything and it was taken away just like that.

“I’m not gonna say I earned it again toward the end of the season, but I just got another opportunity and I want to take advantage of it.”

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Russell Reflects On Rookie Campaign

Before training camp began back in September, a familiar — yet unexpected — name popped up on the Lakers’ roster.

Metta World Peace — who had spent the previous season playing in Italy and China — was on his way back for a second stint with the Lakers.

Huge contributions on the floor weren’t expected from the 36-year-old. Instead, the focus was on having the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and 2010 champion provide a positive influence for the Lakers’ young core.

“I was trying to get back into the NBA: trying to be a competitor and, at the same, trying to mentor,” World Peace said during his Lakers Voices session on Thursday.

World Peace has spent the year overseeing the valuable crop of rookies and sophomores, including second-overall pick D’Angelo Russell.

Initially, Russell joined the team with a high basketball IQ, but “wanted to play around too much,” according to World Peace. But he now says the 19-year-old has a sharpened sense of focus.

“Now he gets it, and he’s been playing great,” World Peace said. “The last month and a half, he’s been playing big: hitting big shots, moving better without the ball.

“I told him, ‘You got to be able to move off the ball, like Stephen Curry.’ Stephen Curry’s not only the No. 1 scorer in the league, but he’s the No. 1 hockey assists guy. That’s unheard of. That’s the right way to play.”

Russell was joined in the Rising Stars Challenge last week by his backcourt mate, Jordan Clarkson, who quickly ascended from No. 46 pick to First Team All-Rookie last season.

World Peace didn’t know much about the unheralded second rounder at first, but has been impressed with his development.

“The cool thing is that he’s showing it every night,” World Peace said. “You can have a great training camp or first couple of games, but he’s actually coming every night. He has to get better (with) defensive awareness, finishing defensive plays. He has to become a better passer.”

But perhaps the greatest of praise went to Julius Randle, who missed his entire rookie season due to a broken leg. World Peace predicts that the 21-year-old has a place among the league’s most productive offensive players.

“I think he’ll be at his prime in maybe two years,” World Peace said. “You’re gonna see big games out of him. … That’s impressive for him to have so much upside I think he can be a 25-point per night guy, easily.

“And if he wants to, he can get more because he’s so strong. Depends on if he adds some hustle, offensive rebounding, putbacks — and then starts hitting that jumper and doing all the little things.”

While Russell, Clarkson and Randle yield much of the attention regarding Los Angeles’ future, World Peace also had plenty to say about No. 27 pick Larry Nance Jr.

World Peace said that it took a while for Nance to build up his confidence, as the rookie claimed that he was purely a “hustle guy and rebounder.”

“I’m like, ‘Man, you’re a great player,’” World Peace said.  “’We need you to play basketball. We don’t need you to be a great hustle players; we need you to be all-around.’”

Nance’s all-around game has steadily improved throughout the season, with his mid-range jumper becoming dangerous enough to warrant the defensive attention that he lacked early on.

World Peace’s work with the young guns has perhaps helped him on the path toward one of his post-playing goals.

“One day I do want to be a coach,” World Peace said.  “It’s gonna be interesting, but if the opportunity ever arises, I would love to coach one day. I think it would be fun.”

Voices

Lakers Voices: Isaiah Thomas

Zubac Discusses Rookie Growth, Future Plans

Randle Readies for Final Week, Offseason

Lakers Voices: Julius Randle (04/04/16)

Russell Reflects On Rookie Campaign

World Peace Previews Future for Young Lakers, Self

Lakers Voices: Metta World Peace (02/18/16)

Lakers Voices: Jordan Clarkson (01/21/16)