The Los Angeles Lakers brought back key members of the core and added several future contributors in free agency. The starting five is relatively set, but these players could make Darvin Ham think twice.
It's impossible to overstate the strangeness of the Los Angeles Lakers 2022-23 season. It was a tale of two halves: before the trade deadline, and after the trade deadline. The tales of with Russell Westbrook and without Russell Westbrook.
Los Angeles pulled off one of the most impressive deadline hauls in recent memory. Rob Pelinka's track record in the GM seat has been spotty at best, but credit where credit is due: the Lakers were the biggest winners of February, transforming Westbrook and spare parts into a robust collection of role players.
With D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley all joining the squad after the deadline, there was more room for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to operate offensively. The defense improved, players like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura blossomed, and the Lakers went from basement-dwellers to Western Conference finalists.
Now LeBron James is officially back for Year 21. The Lakers lost a few key parts in free agency, but added a few more. The lineup that led them to the conference finals and transformed them into one of the NBA's best teams over the final third of the season remains largely intact.
That said, the starting five is subject to change. Ham's first unit fluctuated a lot last season. The Lakers ran plenty of two-guard looks after the deadline with D'Lo and Dennis Schroder. There were also plenty of starting reps in the regular season for Jarred Vanderbilt, who was then benched in the playoffs.
So, that's where we'll start.
No. 3 player who could break into Lakers starting lineup: Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt started 24 of 26 regular season appearances with LA after the trade deadline. He was a starter in Utah all season, too. He simply couldn't hang deep into the playoffs, which always brings me back to this Mike Malone quote: "Specialists don't play in the playoffs."
It's fair to describe Vanderbilt as something of a defensive specialist. He tries harder than just about anybody. He ferociously competes for rebounds, he takes every isolation possession personally, and he will gladly put his body on the line to draw a charge or dive for a loose ball. He's a perpetual force of chaos. Good chaos.
Last season, Vanderbilt was materially better than Rui Hachimura. The Lakers' defense thrived with Vanderbilt on the court next to Anthony Davis, a mega-watt rim protector who empowers Vanderbilt's activity and risk-taking on the perimeter. The offense has never been great, but Vando hit more 3s than ever before last season (32.2 percent on 1.2 attempts per game). He's making an effort.
The Lakers have enough playmaking juice to support Vanderbilt's limited skill set in the regular season. He's a springy athlete who can cut inside for finishes at the rim and he will inhale offensive rebounds. On defense, he's genuinely great. Unfortunately, it becomes far too easy to scheme Vanderbilt off the floor offensively once the playoffs arrive.
It wouldn't be shocking if the 2023-24 season follows a similar pattern as the 2022-23 season. Vanderbilt emerges as the better regular-season option, while Rui Hachimura supplants him in the playoffs as the superior offensive weapon. The Lakers paid Hachimura a pretty penny and will likely commit to him as the frontcourt starter next to AD, but Vanderbilt with a chip on his shoulder should be a force to be reckoned with.
No. 2 player who could break into Lakers starting lineup: Jaxson Hayes
Last season, the Lakers went away from the twin towers approach of yesteryear and were extremely successful. Anthony Davis thrived as the lone big — defensively and offensively — en route to his best individual season as a Laker. That won't stop the Lakers from considering newcomer Jaxson Hayes for a spot next to Davis in the starting five.
The motivation behind starting Hayes would be fairly simple: Davis has a long list of injuries on his ledger. Placing another center next to Davis in the frontcourt allows the Lakers to siphon off some of the more physical interior matchups to another big, in theory preserving Davis for the playoffs.
It's a nice thought, but Davis' offensive shortcomings become far more apparent with another big in the frontcourt. Especially one that doesn't space the floor. Davis is an erratic mid-range shooter at best and defenses are comfortable leaving him open behind the 3-point line. Hayes operates almost exclusively in the dunker's spot or rolling to the basket off of screens. He could take up precious oxygen for Davis in the paint.
That also clogs the floor for Los Angeles' key playmakers. LeBron James and Austin Reaves are both regular suppliers of rim pressure, but it gets harder to function that way with two non-shooters on the floor.
The defensive benefits are moot, too. Hayes isn't exactly the best candidate to absorb more physical matchups in the post. Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the like will get Hayes in foul trouble quicker than Davis can say unibrow. Hayes is rail-thin and he spent most of his playing time in New Orleans next to a bulkier post defender in Jonas Valanciunas.
Vanderbilt is a better defensive fit at the four spot. Hachimura makes more sense offensively. The Lakers really shouldn't start Hayes, but it has been floated by prominent members of the Lakers media as a distinct possibility, so it merits watching.
No. 1 player who could break into Lakers starting lineup: Gabe Vincent
The Lakers are expected to start D'Angelo Russell, who assumed the mantle after the trade deadline last season. Russell's numbers in the regular season are hard to argue with — he averaged in 17.4 points and 6.1 assists on helpfully efficient .484/.414/.735 splits in 17 games with Los Angeles. Russell is paid more annually than any other Lakers guard and he carries with him the status of a former No. 2 pick.
That said, we all remember what happened with Russell in the playoffs. He completely flopped, to the point where Dennis Schroder was the exclusive starting point guard once the final game in the Denver series arrived. Russell is a prolific pick-and-roll shot creator, but he's also a singularly bad defender who doesn't always prioritize the best shots within the offense.
Los Angeles essentially paid Russell for name recognition alone. It's hard to imagine a robust market clamoring to pay Russell north of $17 million annually after the last couple seasons. He was initially not expected to re-sign in Los Angeles, but in the absence of traction elsewhere the Lakers brought him back.
Gabe Vincent will essentially operate as the Dennis Schroder replacement in LA. He signed an affordable contract after a successful stint as Miami's starting point guard, which saw him playing critical minutes in the NBA Finals. Vincent doesn't have the flashy regular season numbers to combat Russell (9.4 points and 2.5 assists on .402/.334/.872 splits), but he does have the postseason track record and all-around skill set to out-achieve Russell when the games start to count.
Vincent suffers the same roadblocks as any 6-foot-3 guard, but he's a better defender than most players with his positional restriction. He developed a certain toughness and competitive I.Q. under Erik Spoelstra in Miami and it translated to the postseason, where Vincent was frequently making winning plays on both ends. He can get red-hot from 3 and he's far more comfortable than Russell moving and operating without the ball. The same skills that made him click with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo should make him click with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Let's call it a safe bet that Vincent will be the Lakers' most reliable postseason contributor at point guard. Whether the Lakers get that far, or if Darvin Ham reaches that epiphany before the playoffs arrive, is another question entirely. All that being said, it's not difficult to imagine a timeline in which Vincent takes Russell's spot or even joins Russell in a two-guard starting lineup.