Why the Lakers Won’t Fire Byron Scott

At least not yet.

You can add Derek Fisher to the list of NBA head coaches that have been getting fired at an alarming rate this season, & it looks like there’s no end in sight. With winning coaches like McHale & Blatt seeming to undeservedly get the axe, it makes you wonder how & why other coaches still have their jobs. Other coaches like the Lakers’ Byron Scott, for example. The Lakers are currently last in the Western Conference & have the second-worst overall record at 11–42, & they’re ranked 29th & 30th in offensive & defensive efficiency, respectively. Not to mention, he’s become one of the most loathed people in LA because of his pre & postgame comments that continue to baffle everyone again & again & again & again & again & again & again; and that’s not even the half of it. However, as bad as things have been for the Lakers under Scott, especially this season, what if I told you that Scott is actually doing his job perfectly fine?

Byron Scott, in fact, has two jobs: make this season all about Kobe & keep their lottery pick this year. And he’s done both very well so far. It’s not a coincidence that after Kobe signed his contract extension, Byron Scott was hired shortly after. Everyone knew that these were going to be Kobe’s last seasons in the NBA, so who better to bring in than his old friend & former Laker to let Kobe go out on his terms? So far, Kobe is 1st on the team in field goals attempted(16.7) & 3-point field goals attempted(7.1), & 3rd on the team in minutes(29.2) this season. He’s also making sure that this season follows the philosophy of being all about Kobe, even if it hurts the development of the young talent. This is the only logical reason because the Lakers couldn’t have hired Scott for his actual coaching. Scott is on pace to have coached five straight seasons finishing in the bottom-5 of defensive efficiency. 5 STRAIGHT SEASONS. Not to mention, he is now officially the worst coach in Lakers history with a record of 30–101. But these awful accolades are actually why he’s also doing his second job perfectly. Now I’m not sure that Scott’s history of being a bad coach could potentially lead them to consecutive lottery picks was an actual reason why they hired him, but more like icing on the cake(but I wouldn’t put it past them). However, there’s a chance the Lakers might not have their first round pick going into next season’s draft, potentially missing out on an opportunity to get Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, or another top prospect. They traded it to the Suns as a part of the Steve Nash deal, who in later traded it the 76ers, not thinking they would need it because that season was supposed to be fun. Hindsight being 20–20, it was extremely wise of them to protect the pick because of how everything has unfolded since then. The Lakers need to have the first, second, or third pick in order to keep their pick. See why keeping Byron Scott actually makes sense?! Now I know that even if the Lakers do make the lottery with one of the three worst records, there’s a chance they still won’t get a top-3 pick(see the Knicks last draft). There’s no chance for the Lakers to be successful this season, but if Scott keeps it up they can have a 16–25% chance at landing a top pick in the draft. Let’s all just enjoy the Kobe’s last moments now & look forward to what’s ahead. So just hang in there Lakers fans, only 28 more games left of this until the Lakers & Scott “mutually part ways”.