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Los Angeles Lakers: Questions that must be answered before the season

By Jason Reed

EL SEGUNDO, CA - SEPTEMBER 25: Luke Walton, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, speaks during media day September 25, 2017, in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
EL SEGUNDO, CA - SEPTEMBER 25: Luke Walton, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, speaks during media day September 25, 2017, in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. Where exactly does Michael Beasley fit in?

The Los Angeles Lakers most recent signing, Michael Beasley, sort of came out of nowhere and presents an interesting dynamic on the rest of the Lakers roster. The last thing Los Angeles seemingly needed was another forward but the front office went out and brought in another veteran in Beasley.

Beasley is talented and can bring a good scoring presence to the Los Angeles Lakers off the bench. Last season, almost exclusively as a backup power forward with the Knicks, Beasley averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds on 50.7 percent shooting.

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Beasley can also stretch the floor nicely, shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc last season. On the surface, this at least answers the shooting questions that have been surrounding the Lakers and the team’s recent acquisitions.

However, as good as Beasley can be for the Lakers, it is going to be interesting how Luke Walton incorporates him into the rotation and the ripple effect it has on the rest of the second unit.

My best guess is that this is going to move Kyle Kuzma to the back up small forward position behind Brandon Ingram instead of serving as a backup power forward.

This also should move Moritz Wagner to a backup center, however, I am not sure how productive that will be. Perhaps Kuzma can see time at center, Wagner at power forward and Beasley at small forward?

Who really knows what the Lakers are doing with their second unit. It is an interesting group of guys that are all flexible but it presents a smaller backup lineup. However, in today’s NBA, that is not the worst thing to have.

Next: Top 30 players in Lakers' history

Regardless, signing Michael Beasley certainly stirs the pot for the Los Angeles Lakers. Like we have the rest of this process, we are just going to trust that the team figures it out.

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