Typically speaking, a young NBA player’s development is aided when he’s surrounded by legitimate league-average-and-higher talent. This isn’t always the case and there are examples of veterans taking away from the growth of a prospect, but for the most part, it’s a good thing to have good players helping younger teammates figure things out on and off the court.
For some reason, though, some (most notably Charles Barkley) are concerned about the effect the Lakers’ veteran additions might have on the team’s young core. Assistant coach Jessey Mermuys sat down for a back-and-forth with Mike Trudell of Lakers.