The Lakeshow Review

After inking Luka Dončić to a new contract extension, the Lakers have now crossed off their most important item of this summer’s offseason. Now they look towards training camp where players will convene before they get ready for the season. With new additions to the roster, LA will find themselves with an array of options for how to design their rotations. They now have a legit center to man the position, as well as a seasoned point of attack defender in Marcus Smart who can slide into the starting unit at a moment’s notice. Coach JJ Redick should be able to choose from several groupings to form the best possible rotations. This will be an important component for the Lakers’ success moving forward, as balance, both with the starters and the reserves will be paramount. It was the lack of balance on the roster which hindered the Lakers’ chances last season. This season, with savvy gameplanning, they should be able to devise more balanced rotations.

The starting unit looks to be fairly set, for the most part. Deandre Ayton will start at center, Rui Hachimura will be the power forward, LeBron will man the small forward position, and Luka will run the show at point. One spot does seem to be in question for me, and that is that of the second guard position. Most likely it will be Austin Reaves who will start. But in order to fully optimize the balance of the team, it should Marcus Smart, in my opinion. Smart is the better defender, and maybe the best defender on the team. Inserting him into the starting unit affords Luka a breather on defense, as Smart can handle the assignment of checking the opponent’s best perimeter guy. I think that Smart with the starters potentially makes the team more balanced than it was a season ago. This also allows Reaves to thrive as a sixth man, where he can have a greater focus on his best attribute which is scoring the basketball. Last season’s Lakers reserves lacked the scoring punch and offensive productivity to keep up with opposing teams. This issue reared its head during the postseason, where the Minnesota Timberwolves reserves boasted a +79 advantage over the Lakers reserves. Particularly in game 1, Minnesota’s bench outscored LAs 43-13.

I would even go as far as to bring both AR and Rui Hachimura off the bench. Particularly if Jarred Vanderbilt arrives to camp in good health. Vando was a big part of the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023. His elite disruptiveness and overall defensive tenacity was a key factor in LAs defensive gameplan that season. Lately, Vando’s been slowed down by injuries. But if he returns healthy this season, I don’t see why he shouldn’t be placed with the starters. I’m of the opinion that defense-first players should get the starting nod, while offense-first players should come off the bench. You want to optimize your lineup’s defensive capabilities, particularly with superstars like Luka Dončić leading the charge. Since you know the offense is already taken care of. That’s where balance is important. Not to mention, the idea of establishing a culture. You want to see talented players like AR embrace a role coming off the bench and helping the team out that way. Politics should definitely not factor into these equations. The team comes first, and players should follow suit on those principles.

With that said, one of Rui or AR, if not both should be brought off the bench. It will make the Lakers a better team. To me, it makes little sense to load up on offense with the starting unit, and bring all of the defensive specialists off the bench. AR and Smart can split the minutes at the 2-guard spot, and Rui and Vando can share 3 slot. This is where coaching comes in. JJ Redick needs to find a rotational balance that best suits the team, based on what it needs, and not any outside factors like player politics. If the team is lacking defense at the perimeter, and suffering as a result, then Austin Reaves needs to come off the bench. Simple as that. If Vando is fully healthy, then he should be starting. Simple as that. The Lakers have the necessary pieces to be a fairly complete team. Their main issue is of course their lack of legitimate two-way players. They have players who can score the ball at a high level, and players who can defend at a high level. It’s up to the coaches to find the right mix and groupings that will allow this team to compete against the best teams in the Western Conference and the NBA.

The frontourt does look relatively set, for now. Deandre Ayton is the type of big who can score, and use his length to rebound the basketball effectively. He’s also a natural fit as roll man on ball screen actions with Luka, so that makes him a no-brainer to play with the starters. Jaxson Hayes can also go back to playing a more natural role, being that of a backup big. His energy and rebounding are a great compliment to bring off the bench, and eat up valuable minutes as Ayton rests. LeBron and Luka are of course set. So that only leaves AR and Rui as two potential candidates who can either start or come off the bench. The pieces are there for LA to field a robust rotation consistently. It’s up to the coaching staff to sort out each player’s skillset and where they are best suited to play. Hopefully this is done with an open mind and free of bias. If so, I can see this team excelling with the starting unit and a formidable reserve group, and they can get back to playing winning basketball. Go Lakers.