Lakers News: Insider Undervalues LA's Backcourt Ahead Of 2023-24 Season

After the Western Conference Finals, many believed that it would be the last time that point guard D’Angelo Russell would be putting on a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. His play when it mattered most was awful, and there was a belief that he was done with LA.

However, the two sides came to an agreement on a new deal this offseason. Although, it does seem likely that the Lakers trade him at the deadline if he doesn’t live up to expectations.

Russell gets another chance to prove his worth to this team. He will be playing alongside guard Austin Reaves in the LA backcourt, giving them a nice duo there. However, in a recent NBA position rankings piece, the writer isn’t sold on the Lakers duo.

Law Murray of The Athletic ranked the Lakers 19th in point guard rankings and 24th at the shooting guard position.

Russell and Gabe Vincent make up the point guard position for this team, while Reaves and second-year player Max Christie make up the shooting guard position. These rankings seem particularly low, especially at the shooting guard position.

“Austin Reaves’ success as an undrafted free agent and bargain basement restricted free agent re-signing belies Los Angeles’ relatively low ranking here, but this isn’t a return on investment ranking. In a vacuum, there are several starters above Reaves that the Lakers would be satisfied to have from a production standpoint. That’s not a knock on Reaves, who will be a 50-40-90 threat, arguably the best playmaker in Los Angeles’ backcourt and a burgeoning free-throw merchant. But there are better defenders and teams with more depth at the position (Atlanta, Toronto, Sacramento, New York)."

Per Law Murray of The Athletic

While Reaves isn’t a star player by any means, he is still on one of the best contracts across the NBA. He showed that he could help lead the charge for the Lakers in the playoffs last season, so it does seem that he is being undervalued here.

Reaves will have his chance to prove to anyone who still doubts him this season, as he will be given more control over the offseason. It showed successful results in the postseason, so the Lakers are planning on leaning into it this year.

His shot-making ability can take him to that next level, and the expectation is that he will indeed do so as the year progresses.

As for Christie, he is an unknown commodity at this time, and despite his strong performances in the NBA Summer League this year, it makes sense to still view him as a question mark.

All in all, the Lakers do seem ranked a little low here, but these are always subjective. Only time will prove anyone wrong, and the season isn’t too far off thankfully.

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