Completing the Puzzle That is the Los Angeles Lakers Roster
After the league’s best duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, how does the rest of this Lakers roster fit together?
After an uneven start to the 2018–19 season, LeBron James and the rest of this Lakers squad really got into a groove. But after a myriad of injuries, everything fell apart. The locker room became toxic, Magic Johnson resigned, Luke Walton was fired, and suddenly, this was a franchise going in the wrong direction.
Things needed to change, so the team made one of the biggest moves of the offseason in trading for Anthony Davis. While they had to give up considerable assets to acquire him, it was needed for a team in “win-now” mode. I was skeptical at first, but the Lakers have actually done a great job rounding out the rest of this roster. This is a very different squad than the one we saw last season, so the question remains, how will it all fit together?
LeBron’s Big Man Problem
It would be false to say LeBron can’t compromise. He’s co-existed nicely with Dwyane Wade in Miami and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, forming deadly tandems each time. With that, it’s easy to forget, but there was the third star on both those teams. Even though it felt like they lagged behind, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love were huge names and players.
Before joining forces, Bosh and Love were dominant post forces that flourished as the number one option on their respective teams. After teaming up with LeBron, their stats took a major dip. Bosh’s last year in Toronto, he was averaging 24.0 points per game. In four years with LeBron, that number never went higher than 18.7. It was even worse for Love, who was averaging 26.1 points his last year in Minnesota before plummeting to 16.4 in Cleveland.
It’s true, big men who make a living scoring in the post often struggle next to LeBron. But that’s just the fit. LeBron prefers to play with four or five three-point shooters on the court at all times, he plays a much more perimeter orientated game while using his big men in the pick-and-roll.
We saw Bosh and Love both refine their three-point shots to better suit LeBron’s strengths, and it resulted in championship rings.
So it brings us to the main point. If LeBron has such an issue with dominant big men, how does it make any sense to trade for the best one in the league?
Anthony Davis is a superstar unlike any that LeBron has played with before. He isn’t the “traditional” big man who just post-ups and scores on the low block. He does so much more. AD is an elite athlete. He excels in the pick-and-roll game, he gets a ton of points running in transition, and works the face-up game. He’s a 6’10", 250-pound big man that moves like a guard. He’s unique to what LeBron has experienced in the past.
The Lakers’ new prized big man is a versatile piece who can spread the floor with his shooting, attack you off the dribble, or work off his teammates. However, unlike his career up to this point, Davis will be the second option on this team, unlike Bosh and Love, who were 3rd in the pecking order. He will still get his opportunities to score one-on-one, where he is sure to crush the competition.
The Pseudo Star
Even before they acquired a second star, Laker fans were already screaming for a third. The NBA is so obsessed with star power, they forget how things need to fit together. The team was smart in resisting the temptation to sign a third star who would frankly be overpaid, when you consider the fates Love and Bosh suffered in that role.
Instead of making a foolish move, the Lakers made a very savvy signing with DeMarcus Cousins (who has already been a recent teammate of Davis and Rondo). Standing at $3.5 million with the mid-level exception, it’s a major bargain considering just a few years ago this was a guy averaging 27 and 12. When healthy, Boogie has his name in the debate for best big man in the NBA.
Unfortunately, health has been the caveat for the oft-injured All-Star. At his best, Cousins can score on just about anyone. At 6’11”, 270 pounds, Boogie can overpower just about anyone in the post. But he still has the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack from the perimeter as well. He’s even developed his game as a passer, transforming into one of the best overall at his position.
In a complementary role with the Warriors last season, Cousins continued to excel. He spread the floor with a reliable jump shot, set hard screens, and used his playmaking ability to elevate his teammates. With the Lakers, he will remain efficient with that same sort of lesser role, without the ball in his hands as often. But when you need him to step up and give you a spark, you have a star player capable of putting up 20–30 points on any given night.
No Point Guard?
As it stands today, the point guards on the Lakers roster are Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook and Alex Caruso. That’s ummm… not ideal. In what’s becoming a point guard-driven league, it’s almost a prerequisite to have a top-tier point guard if you want to have championship aspirations. But basketball is rapidly changing.
In the past, LeBron has always fared better with point guards that come from the “3-and-D” mold. Mario Chalmers in Miami is the best example. Providing steady floor spacing on one side while locking down opponents on the other, Chalmers proved to be a great fit for that loaded Heat team.
Even last year with Lonzo Ball, his high basketball IQ meshed very well with LeBron. While you can criticize Ball for a lot of things, but he played stingy defense while setting up his teammates to succeed on offense. Next to LeBron, it’s more fruitful to have these sort of role players at the 1-spot rather than ball-dominant stars.
Cook gives you a ton of shooting, Rondo gives you both defense and playmaking, while Caruso gives you a bit of both. But the NBA is pushing towards the era of position-less basketball.
It’s becoming more of a norm to see these “point forwards” take over, most notably LeBron James. In the past, LeBron has played the point guard spot before. I mean honestly, it doesn’t matter who brings the ball up the floor, but rather, what they do with it.
The Perfect Role Players
I’ll admit it, after the Davis trade, I was scared. The Lakers were left with very little cap space and a huge depth problem. They had some guy named Isaac Bonga listed as their starting point guard. With LeBron, Davis and Kuzma, they had the star power, but they needed role players if they hoped to win and compete for a title.
But with time, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka did a wonderful job signing the right guys. After they struggled to space the floor last season, the team brought in a ton of shooters while staying composed on the defensive side of the ball. Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley are some of the best 3-and-D guys in the entire league.
And to supplement that, they acquired even more shooting. Along with the aforementioned Cook, the Lakers signed Troy Daniels, who’s a career 40.0% shooter from beyond the arc. Pelinka has been smart, he’s brought back the right guys. Caruso shined after the All-Star break and JaVale McGee proved to be a wonderful fit as a defensive stalwart with a much-improved skill set on offense last season.
Within all of this, people forget about the impact of Kuzma, who quietly put up 18.7 points per game last year. The third-year player is a picture-perfect wing next to LeBron. Kuzma is fantastic at moving without the ball. His game is heavily predicated on his reliable jumper and ability to work off dribble drives, which fits right into LeBron’s ball dominance. While Kuzma may not be a “role player” per se, he’s sure to be a perfect fit for this particular team.
Frank Vogel’s Impact
After Luke Walton was let go, the Lakers brought in Frank Vogel to head up this Los Angeles team. Most people will remember Vogel from his successful days in Indiana with Paul George, David West and a very talented Pacers roster. But after his tenure with the Pacers was finished, Vogel flamed out as the head coach of the Magic.
It’s unfair to put it all on Vogel however, considering how weak those rosters were in Orlando. In Indiana, Vogel’s teams were elite defensively. Year after year, their stingy defense vaulted them into true Finals contenders. But back then, Vogel focused more on two big man lineups, something that’s almost unheard of in today’s NBA. It’ll be interesting to see how he transitions away from that, while putting more of an emphasis on the three-ball, from a defensive perspective.
With the Magic, we saw Vogel’s offensive schemes change up. He employed lineups with four or five three-point shooters, running a ton of off-ball motion, pin downs, that sort of free-flowing offense. It’s similar to what Walton did last season, but without the desired spacing it became a struggle on the offensive end.
Like Walton, Vogel runs his offenses at a high pace. It’s a feat that will fixate well with the athleticism of guys like LeBron, AD and Kuzma. While it may be a one or two ticks slower than what Walton ran, it’ll be up there. We’ve seen it with almost all of LeBron’s coaches, as they have to alter their scheme to fit “‘The King.” How Vogel and LeBron will compromise for the greater good will ultimately tell us how good this team can be.
The Defense
You put Anthony Davis on any team and fans are automatically talking about his defensive impact. He’s one, if not the best defender, in the league. He’s an unreal shot blocker that changes the complexion of opposing teams’ offenses. He can switch onto the perimeter and guard any position 1 through 5. But this team has more to offer than just AD.
The defensive contributions of perimeter defenders like Green, Bradley, and others will keep things fluid on the outside. Davis and/or McGee can lock down the inside. Guys like LeBron and Cousins have proven to be fantastic defenders when their heart is in it.
This team has a roster of guys that can cover multiple positions. They have the luxury to shift their lineups to match up with their opponents on a nightly basis. Before the Ball injury last season, the Lakers held the 7th highest defensive rating, a feat they can climb too once again with this grouping.
Final Thoughts
If nothing else, this is a team that is versatile. If the Lakers are serious about playing LeBron at point, they can go so many different directions. They could opt to put their best offensive lineup with Boogie, AD and Kuzma. Or they might start KCP, Green, AD, and McGee for a scary defensive squad. Or they can slide in Rondo at the point, or Cook, or both.
The possibilities are endless with this Lakers team. Rob Pelinka has done a great job putting out all the pieces to succeed. From here, it’ll be up to LeBron, AD and the rest of this roster to produce the way we want them to.
The Los Angeles Lakers having NBA Championship aspirations? Good. I expect nothing less.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
