On Monday's show, we talked about ESPN's rankings of the 25 best players under 25 years old, based on production and potential. Our focus, vis-a-vis the Lakers centered on Austin Reaves and Talen Horton-Tucker. But as multiple people on the Locked On Lakers YouTube pointed out, that ignored Malik Monk, who at 24 is under the age threshold. So how close is he to making this list?

Well... not very.

And it's nothing personal, either. But not only is Monk nowhere close to the list's 25th ranked player - Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. - he's behind other players who didn't make the list. Think Anfernee Simons, Robert Williams III, Josh Giddey, OG Onunoby, Kevin Porter Jr., Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Keldon Johnson, Gary Trent Jr., Jonathan Kuminga, Lonzo Ball and so on. So not only do the Lakers lack that kind of talent, they lack access to it. So does that mean it's better to start over? If so, that's almost certainly a guarantee the Lakers will be out of contention for a few years, and who knows if they get back? But if they keep pushing the LeBron/AD core and throw everything they have at it... they could end up in same place, except with future assets stripped away.

It's a pickle.

Meanwhile, more names are trickling out as potential persons of interest in the Lakers coaching search. It's VERY early and none of this truly indicates the thinking of the team, but one thing is clear: There's not much of a through line. Will the names get more coherent with time? Meanwhile, is this really the season for Lakers fans to relish in the failures of the Clippers?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: How close is Malik Monk to being an elite under-25 player?

SEGMENT 2: What does Brandon Ingram's age say about the future paths available to the Lakers?

SEGMENT 3: Early names in the Lakers coaching search, and a discussion of schadenfreude.

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