LakersNation.com Interview With Tarik Black

LALakersFan4Life · Sep 25, 2015

The start of the 2015-16 NBA season is still more than a month away for the Los Angeles Lakers with a lot of questions needing to be answered over the course of training camp and preseason.

One player that is already locked in and focused on making his presence felt is second-year forward/center Tarik Black. The undrafted Kansas product spoke with Lakers Nation on a number of different topics as he nears the start of his second season with the Lakers.

Below is the transcription of the conversation with Black:

RW: What have you been doing to prepare for training camp with the Lakers?

Black: I’ve lost some weight. I came in a little heavy off vacation, but I’ve actually trimmed down. I’ve really been working on being more effective offensively. Being more of a threat while I’m on the floor, so I can be an option in different places.

That’s what it is, learning the game. Preparing for the season. Preparing for training camp. Preparing for night in, night out playing. That’s something I had no clue what it was going to be like last year. Because I got a lot of playing time last season, I was fortunate to be out there on the floor and be a starter. I just learned.

RW: What was the transition like from going undrafted, signing with the Rockets, being waived and then being picked up by the Lakers?

Black: They blessed me with a tremendous opportunity there [Houston]. I was a starter there for 12 or 13 games, but coming out to L.A. opened up more doors. More opportunities because there was no superstar there in front me or anything like that. There was that role that needed to be filled for the team. It was a tremendous opportunity. A real rollercoaster. I’m very fortunate.

RW: Have you been working on your mid-range game? Stretching the defense?

Black: Both. Working on my back-to-basket game, being able to post up and also working on my mid-range game. Finding my spots on the floor where I’ll be open and be able to knock down shots or penetrating and kicking. Being a threat inside and mid-range, period.

RW: What’s your goal for the upcoming season?

Black: Definitely want to perform well. That’s my thing is progression. I don’t really try to focus in on what the numbers and statistics need to look like. That can just become overwhelming. I just want to progress. I want to do better than I did last season and I want to get on the floor and do what it takes to help us win.

RW: What about defensively? Recently, you talked about wanting to be more of a force on the defensive end of the floor.

Black: Coach [Byron Scott] really opened the door for me and was ready to give me that opportunity. When I was in Houston, I was regarded as a five, period. When I came out here, Coach put more trust in me to guard the best player, the best big on the other team and then I was guarding threes. I was out there on the floor to be a defensive threat. When we played Cleveland, I started on LeBron [James]. So, I’ve really just wanted to become a real lockdown defender. I pride myself on not allowing my man to score, especially not face-to-face.

As far as guarding somebody, I want to be able to really lock someone down. Not allow them to score because that’s just my M.O. right there. That’s my mindset. I don’t like just seeing people score or seeing people just do what they want to. I want to be the guy people say ‘tonight he’s not going to be able to do what he wants to because Tarik Black’s out there guarding him.’

I really want to get better and better defensively, but a lot of the stuff is tricks of the trade. Not necessarily being the most athletic or agile as much as knowing how to play basketball. Learning about how to be the best defender you can be.

RW: Have any of your teammates impressed you during summer workouts? There’s been a lot of activity at the Lakers practice facility the last few weeks.

Black: We’ve been playing against each other for a while now. Honestly, Julius [Randle] made me a believer. I hadn’t seen him play before and I didn’t really watch too much of him in college because I was at Kansas and he was at Kentucky. Last season, he got hurt, and we [Rockets] were playing them [Lakers] actually. That was my first game of the season against them out in L.A. when I was with Houston and he got hurt, so I really didn’t know what he [Randle] brought to the table. I didn’t know a lot about his game. I knew he was a lottery pick, so he had to bring something good.

Throughout the summer, me and him [Randle] have matched up against each other a lot and he’s really made me a believer. He’s got the potential to really explode in the NBA. Jordan Clarkson, he’s always had me impressed. Jordan’s been impressive since Coach let the leash off of him last season. Jordan has been doing really, really well. D’Angelo [Russell] has been showing that he’s on his way. He’s playing very well. Roy [Hibbert] looked good. Roy has lost a lot of weight. He’s dropped weight from what he was last season and he’s running the floor pretty good.

RW: What’s the experience been like playing for the Lakers? Can you see yourself having a long-term future with the team?

Black: I definitely see myself having a long-term future with the team because I think the fans like me, the community accepts me and I think the organization itself from the front office to the team, I think I’ve meshed and bonded pretty well with everything that comes with the organization.

In sports and in basketball, there’s no organization above the Lakers. For me to be a part of this traditional organization and then to be among the rest of guys putting on the jersey every night, it doesn’t get any better than that.

RW: You received the rookie treatment last year from your teammates. Planning on doing the same to D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr. and the rest of the rookies this year?

Black: Yeah, we’re going to do something. It’s like getting in on a brotherhood. Like a fraternity, entering the NBA. You have to earn your stripes. Whether you’re a lottery pick or undrafted, we all get treated the same being a rookie. I learned that. I don’t know if it’s going to be the baby or the strollers. I’m not sure what it is going to be, but we’ll figure something out. They’ll all have their rookie duties to perform throughout the season in dealing with us. You can guarantee that.

RW: What do you think of the Lakers signing Metta World Peace? Have you worked with him at all this summer?

Black: He’s been playing with us the whole summer, working out with us. Just working out with us and being there to talk to us lending his knowledge and wisdom. He’s an awesome dude. He’s normal dude. A normal guy that’s just so knowledgable and wise.

You can tell by how he functions and maneuvers with us, that he loves spreading his knowledge and wisdom to help us get better. And that’s really what we need. We need the elder statesman, along with Kobe [Bryant], along with the guys that have done it at a high level. We need that championship level of knowledge and wisdom on this team. It was a good pickup. I like him [Metta] a lot. I know everyone else in the locker room likes him, so it works out.

RW: With it potentially being Kobe Bryant’s last year, do you and your teammates have a different kind of focus heading into this season? A kind of win-for-Kobe mentality?

Black: We want to make it special for him because he deserves it. He needs to be honored. He’s one of the greatest to ever play the game. He deserves the honor of going out with everybody giving it what they have. It’s not just on his behalf, it’s for the organization. We want to give it our all to get wins and if we perform well this year, we have an opportunity to do something special and definitely shatter expectations.

RW: Do you believe this team can make the playoffs?

Black: Definitely, if we can stay healthy. I know a lot of people don’t account for the injuries we had last season. We took a lot of blows last season when it comes to health. Injuries have plagued many teams in the past and right now it has hurt our squad because we were missing a lot of our talent. Steve Nash. Kobe Bryant. Julius Randle. Some high-caliber players that we were missing. I feel like as long as we stay healthy, you can’t judge the potential of our team based upon what happen when a lot of guys were down. I mean Xavier Henry went down and they waived him to pick me up. You had some talented guys go down that weren’t able to step out on the floor with us last year. As long as we stay healthy this year, sky is the limit for us.

RW: Is there anything you’d like to add that we didn’t touch on?

Black: I want to thank the organization for the opportunity. Thanking the city for accepting me. Love the purple and gold. I’m very fortunate and thankful to the city, organization and the fans.
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LTLakerFan · Sep 25, 2015

Good guy, good interview. Regarding a lot of the current things we're talking about he's saying the same things. Just give them health this year and they're going to surprise. Metta has been great for him too, likes to share his knowledge and everyone likes him. He's becoming versatile as a defender from 5s down to 3s. They even had him start on LeBron one game. Working on short Js and his post game. Wants to be a threat out there to help the team and wants to be a lock down defender. Loves L.A. What's not to like about Tarik Black?

therealdeal · Sep 25, 2015

You couldn't ask for a more well-spoken young athlete. There's a lot to like about that young man. I hope he continues to grow here.

JSM · Sep 25, 2015

I'm a big fan of what he brings to the club. Expecting a strong year out of him. Loved what he said about D and Metta.

SamsonMiodek · Sep 26, 2015

Man do I love all those young guns we have. One more great interview from a humble, well spoken and highly motivated guy who seemingly can't wait to step on thencourt and kick some a**. I agree with his assessment, many people are underestimating our chances without really taking into consideration the amount of injuries in the last 3 seasons. Here's hoping for a healthy season:Beertoast:

alam1108 · Sep 26, 2015

I was scratching my head when we signed him last season. We already had Davis, Hill, Booz, Kelly and Sacre did we really need another big guy when the wing situation was questionable. But I'm so glad we did, he's young but had this mature/vet feel about him. Hoping he sticks around for a long time.

unpossibl1 · Sep 26, 2015

Tarik gives a great interview, and is very insightful with his answers. He may be on a nonguaranteed deal but I can't see the Lakers letting him slip away.

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LakersNation.com Interview With Tarik Black

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