EL SEGUNDO – Most of their bodies still felt sore from a physically taxing season. The adrenaline rush from participating in Kobe Bryant’s final game had not completely worn off.

So even if the Lakers ended the 2015-16 season with the worst record in franchise history, the players deserved a break for a variety of reasons. Some needed to rest or nurse injuries. Some needed to get away from basketball so they could love it again.

For Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown, however, it took only six days for them to feel antsy. So they texted Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco with a simple question about offseason workouts.

“When do we start?” the messages asked.

“They really couldn’t wait,” DiFrancesco said. “Those guys were the first to start banging the door down and get the party started.”

The reasoning seemed simple.

“I was feeling eager to get going,” Nance said. “Last season left a bad taste in our mouth, and I wanted to get started again.”

The simple gesture significantly shaped the Lakers’ culture with their young core heading into training camp, which begins Sept. 27 in Santa Barbara. Other key members of that group, including D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, also cut their vacations short to begin training.

“For the long run, it will help us build,” Brown said. “We’re going to have ups and downs, obviously. But having a young core working together and making mistakes together, it’s going to help us.”

The Lakers needed to make their practice facility available for pre-draft workouts through most of June, so to ensure uninterrupted access, the young Lakers arrived to work in the morning. That prompted Nance and Brown to dub those sessions “the Breakfast Club.” With a group DiFrancesco described as “hungry,” the Lakers young core lived by the motto, “we eat a healthy dose of iron in the morning.”

So all of the Lakers’ young players spent their Monday-Thursday mornings in the weight room. Many of them returned to the Lakers’ practice facility later at night to work on their court skills. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak often spent his late evenings looking out the window of his office, which oversees the practice court. Kupchak called it a “good feeling” when he would see the lights turned on as players arrived to begin their shooting sessions.

“These are the guys that want it,” Russell said. “You don’t have to be there. But guys that show up like that, they really want to be there.”

Russell tried to show his desire in different ways.

DiFrancesco visited Russell in his hometown (Louisville) to avoid missing any workouts. Russell soon returned to Los Angeles and spent most of his time strengthening his hips and lower body. Russell believes that regimen made a “major difference” in his improved post presence during Las Vegas Summer League games in July, when he averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

Russell also worked to dispell the image former Lakers coach Byron Scott and some of his staff harbored about his work ethic. Some disliked some of Russell’s habits, which included taking half-court shots at the end of practice. They offered mixed reviews about Russell’s reception toward their instruction.

Yet, DiFrancesco said Russell “always had this impressive appetite for work” during their training sessions. DiFrancesco also became impressed with Russell’s request for more feedback and workouts.

“He knows and understands more what it takes to reach the potential he has,” DiFrancesco said. “What may have been interpreted by some as he didn’t understand what it takes to work, I’d argue in some cases that it was him getting his head above water in an overwhelmingly new environment.”

Russell smiled when he was informed of DiFrancesco’s assessment. Russell then shook his head and offered a dismissive evaluation toward those who were critical of his work habits.

“The people that say that about me don’t really matter,” Russell said. “I know I’m in the gym. I know I’m asking for more and trying to get better. So people that are there witnessing it and putting me through the workouts, those are the people that matter.”

The rest of the Lakers’ young core matters, too. It appears all of them made a positive impression.

Randle typically arrived at the Lakers’ practice facility between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. to work out and play basketball. That was usually about an hour before most teammates arrived. Randle also returned in the evening for more basketball drills.

“It’s just a mental thing,” Randle said of his morning routine. “It’s not a jab at my teammates or anything like that. It just helps me get in the zone.”

The same logic applies to Clarkson, who also often arrived at the facility as early as Randle. Clarkson has focused on maintaining the 10-15 pounds of muscle he gained last year, while devoting his on-court workouts toward improving his ball handling and perimeter shooting. DiFrancesco also reported Clarkson showed improvement in his dietary and sleeping habits.

“Jordan can’t sit still. His motor is always going,” DiFrancesco said. “That’s a good problem to have.”

Randle and Clarkson generally completed these tasks without fanfare. So did Brown, who spent the early portion of his offseason healing the stress reaction in his right foot, while also strengthening his hips so he could defend bigger forwards.

The vibe often became festive in the weight room as players sweated out their competitive juices. “Let’s go Lar-ry” chants could be heard whenever Nance took to the bench press.

“Of course, I’m sitting there furious with them as I’m struggling to get this weight up,” Nance said, laughing. “That’s the type of atmosphere we have to get better.”

The Lakers continued that atmosphere following summer league.

With the exception of Nance, who was sidelined with a sprained right wrist, DiFrancesco reported the Lakers’ young core returned to the practice facility about a week after summer league play ended. Nance received full medical clearance to resume training in mid-August. Meanwhile, Randle was sidelined temporarily in late August after needing seven stitches to treat a cut between the middle and ring fingers of his right hand.

Injuries didn’t get in the way of the players’ effort to cement their bond off the court.

Russell, Anthony and Nance message each other on a group text exchange that Nance says is for “messing with one another.” Clarkson treated the Lakers’ summer league team to dinner shortly after signing his four-year, $50 million contract. Randle, Russell and Clarkson attended the premiere of the latest “Jason Bourne” film, while Russell and Clarkson have played paintball together. The players say they plan to eat together on the road more this season.

“That’s something we didn’t do enough of last year,” Nance said. “It’s a better atmosphere this year. The guys are buying into it and we’re all becoming closer.”

All of which started because a young team was eager to wipe away last season’s stench by sweating it out in the weight room.

Contact the writer: mmedina@scng.com