Head coach Byron Scott Arena Staples Center | General manager Mitch Kupchak Record 21–61 (.256) | |
Owner(s) Jerry Buss family trust Place Division: 5th (Pacific)
Conference: 14th (Western) | ||
The 2014–15 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 67th season, its 66th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 55th in Los Angeles. Coming off from one of the worst seasons in franchise history and missing last season's playoffs, the team looked to rebound. Mike D'Antoni resigned in late April following two miserable seasons, leaving the team without a head coach. In the offseason, Pau Gasol left for Chicago and Jodie Meeks left for Detroit respectively, leaving big holes to fill. After failing to land the biggest names in the offseason like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, the Lakers brought back numerous key role players from last season including Nick Young, Jordan Hill, and Ryan Kelly. The Lakers later acquired point guard Jeremy Lin in a trade with Houston and won the bidding rights to power forward Carlos Boozer after being amnestied by Chicago in the offseason. The Lakers also drafted Kentucky's star power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard Jordan Clarkson in the 2014 NBA Draft. The team then hired Lakers Showtime player and former Coach of the Year, Byron Scott as head coach in late July. On December 14, 2014, Kobe Bryant scored 26 points to pass Michael Jordan for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list in a 100–94 win over Minnesota.
Contents
The Lakers started the season a franchise-worst 1–9. Rookie Julius Randle was injured opening night and missed the remainder of the season. On March 21, 2015, Steve Nash announced his retirement. The Lakers finished with a 21–61 record, placing them last in the Pacific division for the second straight season and fourteenth in the Western conference. This was the first 60 loss season in franchise history.
Key dates
Preseason
On October 23, 2014, point guard Steve Nash was ruled out for the season due to a recurring back injury.
Regular Season
On October 28, 2014, rookie Julius Randle broke his right tibia during the Lakers' season opener against the Houston Rockets, and was expected to miss the remainder of the season. Through the season's first 10 games, the Lakers were 1–9, the worst start in the 66-year history of the franchise.
Re-signed
Nick Young
Jordan Hill
Xavier Henry
Wesley Johnson
Ryan Kelly