Los Angeles Lakers Depth Chart 2019 Lakers Depth Chart

Despite the biggest free agent signing to hit the California area since Kevin Durant, the Lakers faced little regression to make way for the Lebron James signing. The team was unable to retain the contract of Julius Randle, but the draft and off-the-chart development of Kyle Kuzma left Randle's departure as a small blemish. Lebron shifts to the 3-spot with this rotation, offering some comfort to players that fluctuated with their roles in the 2017-18 season. Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo will play a shared ownership at the point guard spot. Coach Luke Walton is looking to start Ball at the position, but he will have a short leash if he cannot show progressions early on. Kentavious-Caldwell Pope will gain more looks at the wing with this spread offensive attack. He can now get to his spots on the floor and play owner to a better shooting percentage in 2018.

It gets a little hairy with the roster big-men, but the depth is there. As it currently stands, Brandon Ingram will start at the 4-spot alongside JaVale McGee at the center position. The bench minutes will be available at these two positions as McGee will be a candidate for a quick exit due to his limited ceiling in terms of high-volume minutes. This is where Kuzma will come in and gain valuable bench minutes. His overall minutes calculations will escalate to the level a starter would possess, but he will still be the team's biggest advocate in the second unit. Than we have younger guys like Ivica Zubac and Josh Hart who could formulate into key contributors. Their floor time will only range near the 20-minute marks, unless a player gets into foul trouble.

Top 3 Los Angeles Lakers Depth Chart Questions

Q: Will the big men be efficient on the offensive end?

A: Kuzma will easily take a lion share of the bench minutes but will this create too many small ball lineups for the team. The defensive effectiveness of JaVale McGee is second to none but can he uptick his minutes and condition himself to a level that can match the opposition. The West has many different rosters that are deep at the 4 and 5-spot, which may leave the Lakers in a bind with certain match-ups.

Q: Can the team score in the paint?

A: The team now possesses two point guards that are assist-minded. Lonzo Ball is going to have to tame his scoring expectations, which is something he adopted late last season. Rondo has no problem spreading the ball. JaVale McGee lives in the paint, while the power forwards prefer the spot-up shooting. They are going to need to mold the games of their younger talents to feature a greater presence in this area. LeBron and JaVale cannot carry the team in this regard.

Q: Who will be LeBron's second-hand man?

A: LeBron is one of the greatest influencers in the game and this shows on the court. He can spread the ball to any area, which makes him a threat at all angles. There needs to be a clear-cut favorite for sharing the scoring totals will LeBron. It isn't conceivable for him to go for 40 points each night and have single-digit contributors trailing his successes. Someone is going to have to reach the 15-point game average for this team to pile up wins. Almost every team in the NBA averages at least two, 15-point scorers per night, if not 3 or 4. The team will have to figure out where this spread of scoring will come from given the fact that most guys have solidified skill sets.