The meme makes a valid point. The Lakers have 12 players right now and every single one of them has a right to expect to get minutes based on talent and resume. That has implications. Lots of implications and some worries.
First worry is it will be hard to build the same Kumbaya chemistry that the Bubble Championship team had because it’s almost a certainty, like last year, that there will be players unhappy with their minutes or role.
Second worry, the already deep roster and luxury tax costs make it near impossible to add another impact player, although the Lakers do appear to be still looking to make a move. If that move brings another player, he better be almost a star or a perfect fit (shut down defender) to justify overloading the roster and incurring the huge taxes.
On the other side, having a 12 or 13 deep roster could allow the Lakers to give players a game off every 3 or 4 games to limit wear and tear and save them for the playoffs. Adjust the lineups and rotations to matchup best. Some days Marc would be the backup at the five. Some days Dwight.
The other big plus to the deep lineup is dramatically reduced minutes for LeBron and AD. LeBron played 33.4 mpg and AD 32.3 mpg. I would love to see both of them under 30 mpg this season. That might be the biggest reason to have a deep and competent roster. Spread the regular season minutes and improve the matchups.
There was also a great interview with Giannis where he taking about his thinking process on the block of Ayton in the 4th quarter of Game 4. Admits he was late and talked about how he jumped for the spot where he thought Ayton would catch the ball. Impressive defensive awareness by Giannis.