Why the Los Angeles Lakers are better than you think
By Jason Reed
2. The Los Angeles Lakers are extremely deep
Two of the four players mentioned previously are probably going to be coming off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers next season. Not many people realize it, but the Lakers are one of the deepest teams in basketball.
Not only that, this Lakers team is one of the deepest teams that James has ever played on; especially after the front office added a nice collection of veteran talent to complement the youth on the roster.
The Los Angeles Lakers are likely going to run a starting five of Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, LeBron James and JaVale McGee on Opening Night.
That leaves a bench headlined by Hart and Kuzma, who could combine for 30 points off the bench alone. Following the duo is great veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who provided in his time with the Pelicans that he can still produce at a high level.
The eighth-man in the rotation in Michael Beasley, a forward who averaged 13.3 points off the bench last season. Next is probably Ivica Zubac, who is not a household name, but did average 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game his rookie season.
There is also rookies Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who are both sharpshooters and will come in during key spots.
Oh yeah, Lance Stephenson is also on the bench and will bring that tenacity when the Lakers need it. That is 12 quality guys that will all be fighting for minutes next season. That’s deep.