Los Angeles Lakers: Re-examining the lineup possibilities

The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be set for the upcoming season, but who is starting? Who is coming off of the bench? No one can say for certain right now except that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be the starting. The rest is up for debate.

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ lineup remains a mystery for the most part, and about a month or so ago I examined the lineup possibility for the Lakers. People disagreed with my examinations… So that got me thinking even harder about what the lineup could truly look like at the start of the season.

We all know that LeBron and Anthony Davis will be in the starting lineup for sure. Which locks up the small forward and power forward positions. Leaving the rest up for debate. Although the starting lineup shooting guard seems to be locked up by Danny Green.

Danny Green joined the Lakers in the summer as a free agent, hot off a finals win. With a contract of 2 years for 30 million, I would say he is the guy the Los Angeles Lakers look towards to be the starting shooting guard.

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Danny Green is still a good player and an even better role player. Which is what the starting lineup needs with ball dominant guys in LeBron and Anthony Davis. I would envision a role very similar to Kyle Korver‘s when he played with LeBron. Except, the team is going to need better defense from Green.

The point guard position is sort of an enigma for this team. As most people feel that LeBron should be the main ball handler and have the point guard be played by a non-point guard. Such as Avery Bradley.

Avery Bradley could be labeled the point guard but still play like a shooting guard. It isn’t a bad idea, considering Bradley is a better defender than most point guards in today’s league. He also can shoot and handle if need be.

The only other option I would see as being the starting point guard would be Quinn Cook. The reason being is he is an experienced player. He can shoot the ball well and be a guy the team could look towards to knock down shots. There are downsides to him starting, as he isn’t as tall as other point guards and he also isn’t a great defender.

Which does make me lean more into the camp of Avery Bradley starting as the “point guard.” Now the center is an easy choice. In my opinion, JaVale McGee should start. He more than proved his worth last season on the team. He works hard and he and AD would cause problems for players trying to score in the lane.

With two freakishly athletic big men, a lot of teams won’t be able to do much as far as scoring in the paint goes. McGee is a nice sidekick to AD. He won’t demand the ball as much, he can rebound, block, and help out defensively better than most players at the center position.

Which leads me to the bench. The point guard coming off of the bench should be Rondo, without question. Yes, he might not shoot the ball well, but he is a floor general. You can’t really ask for much more for a player off of the bench. He will guide players and dish out assists really easily with a group he can in a way, command.

We all know Kuzma is going to be the power forward for the bench. He is a great player, and is only getting better. Although, he will need to improve on his defense and his shooting percentages this upcoming season to reach a higher level. We all know what he is capable of, so there is no debate about him being our sixth man and leading the bench in terms of scoring.

The recently acquired Dwight Howard would then be cast as the center off of the bench. Which isn’t a bad look, considering most teams do not have capable backup centers.

Dwight is still a solid center if you look at the numbers. If he can prove himself to be a good player this year he can make up for his weak year in Laker land before and help this team win a championship. He will more than likely be forgiven.

The bench shooting guard, for what looks like the third year in a row will be KCP. Now, KCP isn’t a player most Laker fans love. As he is very inconsistent whenever he gets on the court.

KCP did have a decent shooting year last season, averaging his career-best field goal percentage. If he can build on last year’s shooting and become and more consistent player, he will be a good piece for the Lakers on the bench.

Now the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be a little short-handed at small forward. This position off of the bench a confusing one for me. Because I can definitely see the Lakers go with the vet Jared Dudley. Which wouldn’t be a bad option for the team as he helped the young Nets team last year get to the playoffs.

I also wouldn’t be too surprised to see the Lakers experiment and let Caruso have a go at the position, but I feel like he isn’t tall enough to play that position. Every Lakers fan dream would be for Kostas Antetokounmpo to be even half as good as his bigger brother, which could happen, but probably not this upcoming year.

The small forward position will probably end up going to Jared Dudley, who is a good safe bet for the team. There are still plenty of options for the team to use or mess around with. Caruso, the beloved Laker mythological great could end up taking the bench point guard spot if his play shows he is capable. Also, who knows maybe even Troy Daniels could get a shot to play for the team.

Next. Three boom-or-bust Lakers for 2019. dark

Whatever the Los Angeles Lakers do for the season, they will be ready to go to war with one of the best teams they’ve assembled in recent years.

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