The Los Angeles Lakers made a lot of changes in the offseason when it comes to the roster. Instead of running it back, they will only bring back two starters from last season. The biggest change was seeing LeBron James heading to the 76ers.
Austin Reaves signed a massive contract extension to return to the team. They also made a massive move for a sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler. Bleacher Report believes their starting lineup will be a middle-of-the-road starting five this season despite those moves.
Lakers Given Middling Ranking of Its Starting Five
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report ranks the Lakers as 13th in the league. He believes the uncertainty at the other two starting spots is the reason for the ranking being what it is.
“Dončić and Reaves should rank among the most productive backcourts in basketball. They’ll also comprise one of its most generous guard groups, too, which makes the interior presence of Kessler so critical to this club’s success. Those are three impact players, but the last two spots will lag behind regardless of how Redick fills them,” Buckley writes.
JJ Redick mentioned during media day that the final two starting spots won’t be occupied by white guys. Luka Doncic is the undisputed leader of the team now that James is elsewhere. He is the biggest reason why the team decided to go and get Kessler.
It’s unclear who could slide into the other two starting spots. Quentin Grimes is a candidate if the Lakers want to start three guards. Buckley believes he and Jake LaRavia will be the starters at the small forward and power forward spots heading into the season.
Grimes signed a four-year deal worth $60 million in the offseason. Collin Sexton could be an option if Los Angeles wants to put three guards in the starting lineup, as well. Regardless, the starting lineup doesn’t seem to have as much punch as it once did.
The Lakers Bet Big on the Starting Lineup
Bringing in Kessler and signing Reaves to a multi-year extension means LA is betting big on the starting lineup. Doncic is signed for the long term as well. Doncic and Reaves occupy perhaps the worst defensive backcourt in the league. Bringing in Kessler is supposed to help with that issue.
Kessler has blocked 2.4 shots per game over the course of his career. When he is healthy, he is one of the best rim-protectors in the league. However, his health has been a major problem, and it’s one of the reasons why the Jazz decided to let him go in the trade.
The Lakers ranked 2oth in the league in defense a year ago. Reaves mentioned that the team will be able to play some different defensive schemes now that they have the current lineup set. It remains to be seen if that will end up being enough for them to be title contenders.
Lakers’ Starting 5 Given Surprising Ranking After Roster Overhaul