After the departure of LeBron James in free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers committed to a star trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. However, outside of those three, there’s not a lot of high-end talent on the roster, as the Lakers are expected to struggle without multiple starting forward options who can have a significant impact on raising the ceiling of this team.
James was the main forward for Los Angeles last year, but with him gone, the team made an effort to bring in new players at that position, none of whom jump off the page as a solid replacement for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Lakers still have a huge roster hole without James, as the lack of proven starting forwards could be the ultimate demise of a group that has high expectations this year.
Lakers Have Big Problem: Roster Hole Is Starting Forwards
Writing for ESPN, Ben Golliver named the Lakers’ biggest roster hole as ‘proven starting forwards,’ especially ones who can replace James and be the missing pieces around Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler.
“Look, there’s going to be a little less positional certainty whenever LeBron departs. Rather than target a single replacement for the four-time MVP, the Lakers invested their resources into re-signing guard Austin Reaves, acquiring starting center Walker Kessler and compiling a grab-bag collection of unproven forwards with varying skill sets.
The Lakers made an effort to bring in new wings this summer, as the forwards they signed make up a huge chunk of the roster overhaul undergone by the team. However, as Golliver questioned, are any of those names proven enough to give Los Angeles what it needs in that position?
“In his season tipoff news conference, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that both starting forward spots would be up for grabs. Redick’s long list of options includes Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Adou Thiero,” the ESPN writer added.
“Regardless of who wins the job, the Lakers will ask both forwards to function as high-activity defenders and auxiliary options in an offense led by Luka Doncic and Reaves. As the season unfolds, Redick will be in position to compensate for his lack of standout forwards by extending his rotation with a ‘quantity over quality’ approach.”
Los Angeles has a ton of options to play in the two starting forward positions this year, but it remains to be seen if whoever takes those open roles has the necessary abilities and skill set to elevate this roster.
Los Angeles Has Several Starting Forward Candidates
Though Redick remained non-committal about the two starting forward positions, all signs point to Grimes, who is now the Lakers’ fourth-highest-paid player, to take the starting small forward role.
But after that, there’s still a major question mark on who will play power forward to begin the year. All of the names Golliver mentioned are on the table, but after two preseason games, it’s still a big unknown on who Redick favors out of the pack.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Svyatoslav Rovenchuk ranked the team’s starting wing candidates in a list of which player would be best to join Doncic, Reaves, Kessler, and presumably Grimes in the starting lineup.
Atop his list was Williams, who arrived on a minimum contract this offseason and has made headlines for his play over the summer and at Lakers training camp.
“Ziaire Williams has quickly found himself in one of the two prime positions needed to secure the starting spot he wanted since the offseason,” Rovenchuk wrote. “Williams’ defensive versatility, physical energy, and smart offense all stood out. Seeing him rest on the second night of a back-to-back was also a good indicator of his importance. Ziaire should be lightly penciled in for one of the two vacant spots right now.”
After him, the list saw Thybulle, Jake LaRavia, Thiero, and rookie Cameron Carr as the next best candidates. Dalton Knecht was last on the list, but that’s because he’s expected to be waived by the Lakers before the season begins, so the team can get down to the 15-man roster limit by October 19.
Los Angeles has several players to fill the open role, but it remains to be seen if any of them have what it takes to significantly elevate this roster. The Lakers are also reportedly eyeing another trade to find one more upgrade at the forward position, but if they can’t, there are a few options to choose from.
None are going to replace what James brought to the table in any real capacity, but perhaps one stands out as a solid fit playing alongside the star trio.
Lakers Warned Over Major ‘Roster Hole’ After LeBron James Departure