Lakers Hold Exit Interviews Before Season Ends

The LA Lakers conducted exit interviews for injured players on the day before the final game of the season

A night after the Los Angeles Lakers hit 60 losses for the first time in the storied history of the franchise, Lakers coach Byron Scott called his injured contingent of players to the practice facility to conduct exit interviews.

In order, Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington, Jeremy Lin, Nick Young and Julius Randle took time to meet with Scott and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak before walking into the media room and answering questions that focused on the season that was and the uncertainty that lay ahead.

First up, Price sang the praises of his coach by complimenting Scott on staying consistent throughout the year. As one of the veterans in the locker room, Price stepped into a leadership role on and off the court this season.

"I enjoyed being a voice in the locker room," Price said. "Is it just being a good teammate or being a mentor? I don't know about that, but I enjoyed helping younger guys."

After Price wrapped up, Ellington came into the room. Similarly to Price in demeanor, Ellington spoke with his usual soft voice as he expressed gratitude for the support the Lakers provided him during his family tragedy. Wayne Ellington Sr. was murdered in Philadelphia during the season, and the 27-year-old had only taken a few days off before returning to the team and continuing through the season.

"Coaches, organization, teammates: Everybody was so welcoming when I came back [following the funeral]," Ellington said. "It really helped me just get away and focus on something I love to do. We had a great group of guys that really got along at the end of the day. I'm actually a little nervous for the off-season not being around guys."

Both Ellington and Price praised Scott, and the duo of injured guards were likely two of Scott's favorite players on the team.

Next, Lin and Young would sit in front of a banner adorned with Lakers' logos and facing a collection of microphones and cameras. Lin's season had not gone as expected, but the 26-year-old seemed content with the trajectory and the dramatic improvement following the All-Star break.
"As time went on, it just felt like there was good progression," Lin said. "There was improvement throughout the course of the year, all the way up until the end."

The point guard did not sound overly confident about returning to LA, but he also admitted he had yet to give it serious thought or even talk to his agent. However, when asked point blank if he would like to return, Lin said, "Yea."

The point guard would go on to cite his love for the city and the fans, but he did not sound overly confident that a return to the Lakers would be an option. Time will tell on that front.

After Lin, Young walked into the room. Unlike the three players who went before him, Young is on contract with the Lakers and does not have to anguish over free agent decisions over the summer. Still, the player had butted heads with Scott during the year, so this exit interview offered intrigue.

"If he ain't talking about you, he don't care about you," Young said when asked about Scott's continued criticisms throughout the season. "That's one of the things coaches always say."

On Tuesday afternoon, Young seemed to be in good spirits and sounded pleased with his conversations with Kupchak and, in particular, Scott.

"I think we needed to talk and just sit down and talk about what's been going on this whole year, and I think that was cool," Young said.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the day came when Young was asked about why he shot a career-low 36.6 percent from the field. Previously, Young had never shot below 40 percent from the field.

"I just blame it on the rim," Young said to the volcanic eruption of laughter. "The rim was trippin' this year. Next year, I'm going to take her on a date and shoot a little better."

After Young wrapped up, Randle walked into the room. The rookie spoke about his recovery from injury but did not provide any concrete timeline on when he would be back playing full contact basketball. With regards to Randle, the rookie will be with the team next season and nothing much had changed. He stated that his goal was to be ready for NBA Summer League.

What did come out of Randle's exit interview was his relationship with Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, who broke his leg a few months before the Lakers' rookie. George is back on the court, and Randle talked about how he had asked the Pacers' forward about a callus that had developed on his leg under the skin. George confirmed that it was part of the process and gave the rookie encouragement to go forward with training despite the initial pain.

"Even though I didn't get to play, it was still a huge learning process," Randle sounded adamant that he would not change anything about his year. "I got a lot out of it. Obviously I wanted to play, but the valuable things I learned this year I wouldn't give away."

The Lakers will play on Wednesday night and conduct exit interviews for all remaining players on Thursday morning and afternoon. Kupchak and Scott will also sit down to answer questions on Thursday afternoon.

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