The UCLA football team and the Los Angeles Lakers are both heading into new eras for their programs and there are several parallels between the two.
It is a time of change in the city of Los Angeles as teams throughout the land are looking to have big seasons after going through some big changes recently. The UCLA football team and the Los Angeles Lakers have gone through two of the biggest.
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Both the Bruins and Lakers have experienced a few down seasons recently, but both added superstars to their teams and will go through some major improvements in the next few seasons. But beyond that, there are several things both teams will go through which will parallel each other and if you are a fan of both, this will be an exciting time to follow your teams.
The Addition of a Superstar
UCLA made a splash last November by hiring a coach that has proven he can win. With Chip Kelly leading this program, the Bruins have nowhere to go but up. The same thing happened with the Lakers, though more recently as they acquired LeBron James, arguably the best player on the planet. With the addition of Kelly and James, both UCLA and the Lakers’ stock has skyrocketed.
Two Very Young Teams
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With a transition from coach to coach, a program will go through some major changes. UCLA lost 47 players since the end of last season which was due to graduations, the NFL Draft and several players not able to fit into Kelly’s plans. But Kelly reloaded and brought in several freshmen, transfers, and walk-ons. UCLA currently has 106 players on their roster… 53 of those are freshmen (both true and redshirt).
The Lakers are experiencing the same thing. There are currently 22 players on their roster and 14 of them are 25 and under. Though Lakers’ management tried to bring in some experience with the addition of JaVale Magee, Rajon Rondo, and Lance Stephenson, this is a squad with not a lot of experience.
No Pressure to Win Now
The Bruins and Lakers are in no hurry to win. Of course, competitors like LeBron James and Chip Kelly want to win now, but in their first seasons, it is all about building a foundation. This coming season, UCLA and Los Angeles are going to slowly morph into their new styles. Neither team should win anything significant by season’s end, but by the start of the following season, both should be on track for a championship run.
There Will Be Entertainment
With LeBron in town, there is once again a lot of intrigue with the Lakers. They will not run through teams at first (especially the Western Conference), but they are going to be a fun team to watch and Showtime will once again return to the Purple and Gold.
As for the Blue and Gold, everyone is expecting some sort amalgamation of Kelly’s previous offenses. From what we know so far, things are going to be fast with UCLA, so there should be similarities to the blur offense he made famous in Oregon.
If you are a fan of either team (and why wouldn’t you be?), this will be a very exciting time for you. The Lakers are destined to get back to a championship status and the Bruins are looking to get back to the top of the Pac-12. It is not going to happen for both just yet, but it is going to happen.