The Lakers' young core has received nothing less than praise for their offseason work ethic and willingness to mature.

General Manager Mitch Kupchak and the coaching staff have praised the young core for their work ethic this summer, and now the team's veteran players are starting to take notice.

Signing Luol Deng this summer was important to provide leadership and some tough love for the players.

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That hasn't happened much and Deng has come away impressed by what he has seen so far.

The young guys have been phenomenal, and I really mean that. It's my 13th year, and when I came in I didn't know what to expect, but as I got to know the guys I can really say that they're really hungry. They want to get better.

I always come early. For a lot of teams that's not the case for a lot of people, and I see a lot of these young guys coming in early and working on their game. I see a lot of them staying afterward.

The Lakers' core spent the summer training in their Breakfast Club group, which has spilled over into training camp.

According to projections from media and betting books, the Lakers are bound to become bottom dwellers team this season.

Deng doesn't completely disagree and says there will be plenty of great moments this year.

It's such a long season and there's going to be a lot of ups and downs. After failing to make the postseason for the last three seasons, the Lakers are looking for all of the ups they can get.