Lakers News: Pundit Projects Team's Roster Depth After Adding Christian Wood
For the fans of virtually every NBA team, the offseason is spent obsessively analyzing their team's roster for the following season.
The combination of free agency, the draft, and everything in between makes this period of hypotheticals and conjecture quite entertaining.
This is especially the case for those who support the Los Angeles Lakers.
In what was an eventful offseason, there's not a shortage of possible lineup combinations to mull over. The Athletic's Jovan Buha took it a step further, breaking down his rotations based on intel and estimations:
Jovan Buha's Projected Starting Five:
PG: D'Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Rui Hachimura
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
The big three of James, Davis, and Reaves are a given. Hachimura had a fantastic playoff run with the Lakers and thus was rewarded with a contract extension. Even though his ability to score off the bench would be intriguing, you can expect LA head coach Darvin Ham to stagger some of his starters with what looks like a very deep bench.
Speaking of which, here's the second unit Buha expects to see:
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Christie
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Christian Wood
Vincent is a battle-tested guard with the ability to both defend and stretch the floor. He's a very good backup option for the Lakers -- and it wouldn't be a shock to see him play in crunch time over Russell.
Christie is on the cusp of breaking out. With consistent play time this year, he could be the next diamond in the rough emerging as a real depth piece. Vanderbilt is a perfect energy guy -- offering high-end athleticism and defensive versatility. Prince is a true 3-and-D floor spacer. We could see instances where he starts at the small forward spot ahead of Hachimura.
Lastly, there's the Christian Wood element. We know he's not the greatest defender. There's a world in which he actually comes in and backs up James in order to get a bigger, more athletic, defensive-minded big on the floor (Jaxson Hayes). With that said Wood might be the guy the offense runs through on the second unit. He's a walking double-double when engaged.
Rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino probably will be a fringe player this year, mostly appearing in the G-League. The same can be said for fellow rookie Maxwell Lewis. Cam Reddish and the aforementioned Hayes are very interesting. Both were former Top-10 picks who needed a change of scenery.
Based on the excellent track record of Phil Handy for developing talent, don't be shocked if one of these guys becomes a contributor sooner rather than later.
Collectively, this is a team with terrific length and size. There are a plethora of different combinations Ham can utilize throughout the season. Assuming the team stays healthy, we're looking at perhaps the deepest and most versatile squad in the league.
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