On the verge of LeBron James' 21st NBA season, what will the Los Angeles Lakers' starting five look like in 2023-24?
The Los Angeles Lakers face a summer of introspection after getting swept out of the conference finals. It's clear the team can still build a contender around Anthony Davis and LeBron James, but with multiple key free agents and a pesky new CBA on the horizon, how exactly can the Lakers get better?
Rob Pelinka and the front office showed unexpected ingenuity this season. The Lakers' flurry of trade deadline maneuvers completely revamped the offense and elevated the defense to an elite level. The result was a conference finals appearance as the No. 7 seed.
If the Lakers can keep most of the same group together, that could be enough for another deep run. LA played at a 57-win pace after the trade deadline, so the next regular season should go more swimmingly — with the obvious caveat that Davis and James are more injury-prone than ever. There have also been several high-profile free agents and trade targets tied to the Lakers.
Predicting the Lakers' 2023-24 starting lineup:
Point Guard: D'Angelo Russell
This might make the average Lakers fan squirm after Russell's performance in the conference finals, but every credible source of reporting during the regular season suggested that LA wants to run it back with Russell in the point guard spot.
Even so, there will be other big names tied to this position: primarily Kyrie Irving, who we all know LeBron James would like to play with. James' sudden decision to ponder retirement after the Lakers' Game 4 loss to Denver was perceived by many as a blatant leverage play to force the front office to make big changes. That said, the logistics of an Irving-to-LA move are murky and the Mavs reportedly have zero interest in a sign-and-trade centered on Russell.
To take it one step further, Russell enters a mostly barren free agent market. No team with significant cap space — Houston, San Antonio, Detroit, OKC — should have any interest in the former No. 2 pick. The odds of Russell locking up a big contract elsewhere are pretty slim, so the Lakers could conceivably keep Russell on a discount to serve as a regular season points machine before being phased out of primary ball-handling duties in the postseason.
Russell is a liability in the playoffs, but he averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists on .484/.414/.735 splits in 17 regular-season starts for LA. He's not devoid of talent and he's still a good 82-game player, if not the best 16-game player.
Shooting Guard: Austin Reaves
Unlike Russell, Reaves was absolute aces for the Lakers in the playoffs. He averaged 16.9 points on .464/.443/.895 splits across three rounds of competition. Reaves' late-season surge cemented him as the secondary creator and competent guard defender the Lakers have been searching for to complement LeBron in the Lakers' backcourt.
The only hang-up here is Reaves' looming free agency. He is going to get a massive offer sheet from someone, which could complicate the Lakers' finances in advance of the new CBA. The Lakers, however, have made clear their desire to keep Reaves and the young core together. He's a good enough basketball player to warrant a potential $100 million investment and, as a restricted free agent, any contract Reaves signs can be matched by the Lakers.
Depending on Reaves' summer haul, the Lakers could decide to let the aforementioned Russell walk in favor of cheaper stopgap options at point guard, a la Dennis Schroder. The front office would probably like to have both, however. Reaves is a crafty downhill scorer with a real penchant for drawing fouls at the rim, but he's still best suited to off-ball duties, spacing the floor and attacking a rotating defense off the catch.
The Lakers' bridge to a post-LeBron/Davis future starts with Reaves. He can play lead ball-handler and rack up double-digit assists when asked to, but more importantly, he's a culture-setter who competes hard and plays winning basketball. He's already 25 years old, so there's no great untapped potential lurking beneath the surface, but Reaves is already very good. The Lakers should do everything within reason to keep him around.
Small Forward: LeBron James
There has been rampant speculation about LeBron James' future after he mentioned the possibility of retirement in his post-game press conference following Game 4. Whether you believe the earnestness of LeBron's consideration or not, the most likely outcome is another go-around with the Lakers.
James is under contract for two more years. He is set to make $46.9 million in 2023-24 with a player option for $50.6 million in 2024-25 — in theory, the year his son will enter the NBA after his freshman season at USC. While James could feasibly retire or leave Los Angeles to play with his son when the time comes, fans should expect at least one more year in purple and gold.
Money probably isn't the primary motivator for James, who is independently wealthy outside of basketball at this point. But there is something to be said for the competitive spirit of a guy who has played top-level basketball for 20 years now. LeBron has put more work into his body and his game than any NBA player in history. Even last season, with injuries and age taking their toll, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. He dropped 40-9-9 in the Lakers' elimination game for Pete's sake. There still aren't many players better than LeBron.
The Lakers will obviously do everything in their power to convince LeBron to stay. Perhaps a conference finals appearance is enough. LA was right on the doorstep of another Finals run. The Nuggets never really blew LA out of the water either; those games were close. Maybe, just maybe, the Lakers can make it happen in James' 21st season.
Power Forward: Rui Hachimura
Here's the biggest change from the regular season. Rui Hachimura didn't start for the Lakers until the very end of the Denver series, but like Austin Reaves, the forward earned himself a mountain of cash with his strong performance in the playoffs. And, like Reaves, Hachimura happens to be a restricted free agent.
The Lakers want to keep both Reaves and Hachimura on the team. That should be the goal. Hachimura's potential has been brewing for a long time, but the Lakers finally unleashed it. He's a powerful athlete who can splash 3s and bully smaller defenders in the paint. The Lakers placed Hachimura in a prime position to succeed, attacking seams in the defense created by the gravity of playmakers like LeBron, AD, and Reaves.
Los Angeles can mitigate Hachimura's limitations as a decision-maker and on-ball creator while benefitting greatly from his athleticism and finishing prowess. He did enough in the postseason to not only earn a hefty raise, but also a spot in the starting five. Developing him as the long-term complement to Anthony Davis should be the priority.
The Lakers will still have Jarred Vanderbilt on the roster next season and he's a viable, starting-level player. Vanderbilt's penchant for defensive playmaking is a real asset, but while Hachimura ascended in the playoffs, Vando was essentially phased out of the rotation. His limitations as a shooter were too significant to overcome. The Lakers should prioritize Hachimura with the playoffs in mind, even if the gap between the two feels smaller in the regular season.
Center: Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis has been the topic of much debate in recent years due to his mounting injury history and lack of consistency on offense. He is not a perfect superstar, often reliant on James and others to create scoring opportunities and kickstart the offense. Davis' aggression has a tendency to waver and, of course, availability is the best ability — something Davis can't always achieve for reasons beyond his control.
All that said, Davis at full capacity was a borderline MVP candidate for the Lakers last season. Had he played a full season instead of 56 games, he would've been a shoo-in for All-NBA and potentially a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Davis really shined on the defensive end in the playoffs. He was the most imposing defender of the entire tournament, walling off the paint and devouring possessions with his rim protection. He absolutely destroyed the defending champs with his physicality in the second round and he was the Lakers' best player front-to-back in a conference finals run. That's a real credit to Davis' two-way talent.
The Lakers will undoubtedly keep Davis. There's no viable trade candidate on the market who can match Davis' value as a defensive centerpiece and offensive finisher. Davis should work hard to become more consistent and perhaps iron out the kinks in his jumper, but those are marginal concerns with a top-10 player, not existential problems that will keep the Lakers from reaching the mountaintop.
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