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Christian Wood

Why Los Angeles Lakers Still Have Realistic Chance To Upset Nuggets

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While the doubters and naysayers have declared the Los Angeles Lakers dead in the water after Game 2’s crushing loss, the reality is the Denver Nuggets are lucky to be up 2–0 and have just held serve on home court.

While last night’s discouraging loss to the Nuggets was the Lakers’ 10th straight in row, this was not only the closest game but also the first time the Lakers showcased their new 3-point prowess and almost won the game.
Headed back home to L.A., there’s no reason to believe the Lakers will be anything but greatly encouraged at how they shot the ball and competed last night. If anything, the Lakers cannot wait to play the Nuggets again.

The Lakers and Nuggets first round playoff series now moves to Los Angeles for two critical games on Thursday and Saturday nights, which the Lakers desperately need to win to even up the series at 2 games each.
While many NBA observers have already written the Lakers off after having lost ten straight games to the Nuggets, the reality despite the record is that the two teams are fairly evenly matched when both are fully healthy.

The Lakers’ problem is they’re missing two of their bigs in in 6′ 10″ forward Jarred Vanderbilt and 6′ 10″ forward Christian Wood. That’s left them with just three playable bigs: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Jaxson Hayes.
The good news is there’s a realistic chance one of Vando or Wood may be healthy enough to play on Thursday. Having one or both of these players available the rest of this series and the rest of the playoffs could be critical.

Last season’s conference finals sweep and L.A.’s current 10-game losing streak have totally distorted how evenly matched L.A. and Denver are. Let’s look at the bad news and good news that support L.A. winning the series.

The Bad News!

The Bad News is the Los Angeles Lakers lost their 10th straight game to the Denver Nuggets, blowing a 20-point lead and opportunity to steal home court advantage and set themselves up to win the series in L.A. in 6 games.

To say this was a crushing defeat is an understatement. After doing almost everything right to build a 15-point half-time lead and 20-point lead early in the 3rd quarter, the Lakers once again took their foot off the proverbial gas.
This time it was a 5-minute period in the third quarter that cut the lead in half and multiple stretches in the fourth quarter that eventually eliminated the rest of the Lakers’ lead and opened the door for the Nuggets win.

Statistically, the game was a reversal of Game 1, where the Nuggets outshot the Lakers from three by 21 points. This time, the Lakers’ newfound prowess from deep prevailed and L.A. won the 3-point war by 15 points.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets won the free throw battle in Game 2 by 5 made free throws after losing it to L.A. by 12 made free throws in Game 1. Lakers average 25 free throws per game but shot just 13 free throws in Game 2.

Once again, the Lakers’ lack of size due to the injuries to Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt was costly as L.A. lost both the points-in-the-paint and offensive and defensive rebounding battles to the bigger Nuggets.
Los Angeles likely blew their best opportunity to make this a series. While the Lakers next two games are at home, the harsh reality is that the Denver Nuggets currently have a 4-game winning streak at Crypto.com Arena.

After losing their 10th straight game to Denver Nuggets, the odds of the Los Angeles Lakers turning things around and beating the world champions in four of the next five playoff games don’t even qualify as a puncher’s chance.

The Good News!

The good news is, though the path is challenging and the odds long, the Los Angeles Lakers still have a realistic opportunity not only to win this series but also to win the Western Conference and make it to the NBA Finals.

Due to their slow start, the Lakers have essentially been in various levels of playoff mode for over a month. They’ve survived by focusing on winning one game at a time and that’s what we should expect the next two games.
When you’ve lost 10 in a row to them, it’s hard to believe all the Nuggets did by winning those two games in Denver was hold home court but that’s the truth. If the Lakers can win their two at home, the series will be even.

Despite losing both games, the Lakers shot better from the field (49.0% to 45.3%) and from deep (35.6% to 35.3%) than the Nuggets. Last year, Denver shot better from the field (49.3% to 47.6%) and from deep (40.3% to 34.9%).
Where the Lakers are getting killed in on the boards and in the paint but it looks like reinforcements may be on the way with both Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt hopefully available to play starting Thursday night.

Right now, the Lakers can’t look any further ahead than the next game but if they can win Thursday and Saturday nights, the series will be tied 2–2 and the Lakers will be the team with the winning streak and momentum.
The addition of Wood and Vanderbilt should enable the Lakers to better match the Nuggets on the boards and in the paint and it’s highly unlikely the Nuggets will shoot more free throws than the Lakers going forward.

The basketball gods giveth and taketh. Sometimes, what almost kills a team actually makes them better. The Lakers are angry and hungry and still have a viable path not only to winning this series but also winning #18.

Three Moves To Give Lakers Size & Length Advantage At Every Position

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No gesture says more about on-court domination without a technical for taunting than offensive players making the ‘too small’ gesture after taking advantage of their size and length to easily score on a smaller defender.

While the Lakers hope to improve their 3-point shooting, their strength is their ability to win the points-in-paint (PIP) and made-free-throws (MFT) battles by more than they lose their negative 3-point shooting differential.
That’s the formula the Lakers used to make the conference finals last season after a poor 2–10 start but have struggled to execute this year until they went big and started 6′ 8″ Cam Reddish at shooting guard for 6 games.

Before the inserting Reddish in the starting lineup for Reaves, the Lakers were generating only +9.9 points per game from PIP and MFT, which did not cover their -12.0 points per game negative 3-point shooting differential.
With Reddish starting at shooting guard for 6 games, the Lakers outscored their opponents by +15.8 points per game from PIP and MFT, which easily was enough to beat the -10.5 points per game 3-point shooting differential.

The Lakers under Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham have a unique opportunity to build a deep, talented, defense-first roster that possesses legitimate, actionable size, length, and physicality advantages at all five positions.
Pundits have long visualized the ‘ultimate’ NBA starting lineup as five 6′ 8″ to 6′ 10″ long, athletic players who could dominate the paint and glass at both ends. That may be exactly what Ham and the Lakers are trying to do.

Here are the three roster moves Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham needs to make to create a Lakers’ version of the ‘ultimate’ starting lineup that possesses dominating size, length, and physicality advantages at all five positions.

1st Move — Start Jarred Vanderbilt Next to Cam Reddish

Vanderbilt and Reddish give Lakers elite defensive wing duo

The first move Ham should make to improve the Lakers’ positional size is starting 6′ 9″ Jarred Vanderbilt at the three once healthy and pairing him with 6′ 8″ Cam Reddish to create a starting duo of elite wing defenders.

While Vando’s been approved to begin physical contact and ramping up to return to the team’s rotation, there’s a growing consensus he will replace Taurean Prince as the starting small forward sometime in the near future.
With Cam Reddish starting at shooting guard and Jarred Vanderbilt at small forward, the Lakers would essentially have two elite wing starters with the size and length to ably defend opposing high-scoring guards and forwards.

Starting 6′ 8″ Reddish and 6′ 9″ Vanderbilt would represent Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Lakers doubling down on their identity as a defense-first team who dominates paint and glass with elite positional size and length. While there’ll be pressure on Reddish and Vanderbilt to be able to shoot a respectable percentage from three, both should be able to take advantage of their superior size and length to dominate smaller defenders offensively.

Turning Reddish and Vanderbilt into an elite point-of-attack perimeter defensive pair who can slow down the bigger high-scoring guards and wings that dominate the West is a championship development for L.A.
Cam and Vando give the Lakers a defensive duo to match up with the top offensive duos in the league like the Mavs’ Luka and Kyrie, Suns’ Booker and KD, Warriors’ Steph and Klay, or Pacers’ Haliburton and Mathurin.

The Lakers are excited about the idea of having their two best perimeter defenders in their starting lineup alongside Anthony Davis. It’s a huge move that doubles down on their identity for defense and physicality.

2nd Move — Start LeBron James at Point Guard

LeBron reminds everybody he can still play point guard

Starting Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt gives the Lakers positional size advantages at shooting guard and small forward and also opens a unique opportunity for the Lakers to go big at point guard with 6′ 8″ LeBron James.

The only reason the Lakers don’t start James at the point guard is they don’t want him defending smaller and quicker point guards, an objection that’s easily eliminated by having Reddish or Vando defend the opposing guards. While many Laker lineups already have LeBron playing point on offense and small or power forward on defense, the next step is embracing starting James at point guard to create positional size advantage at that position.

The NBA is a guard and wing driven league and most offensive firepower is focused on the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions since they play on on the perimeter and have the ball in their hands more. Few NBA teams have high-powered scorers at all three of these positions, which mean the Lakers could have Reddish and Vanderbilt defend the opponent’s two best scorers while James defends their weakest scorer.

Starting 6′ 8″ LeBron James at the one, 6′ 8″ Cam Reddish at the two, and 6′ 9″ Jarred Vanderbilt at the three would give the Lakers an advantage in perimeter size, length, and athleticism for all three positions at both ends.
The James/Reddish/Vanderbilt starting lineup could force opposing teams to go big or risk being dominated by Lakers’ size, length, and athleticism. Teams could find it hard to score upon or stop this lineup from scoring.

While the Lakers have been trying for three years to reduce the playmaking workload on LeBron James, the smartest thing the Lakers could do right now could be to go super big and start 6′ 8″ LeBron James at point guard.

3rd Move — Start Christian Wood Next to Anthony Davis

Wood and Davis give Lakers two elite bigs

Now that L.A. has gone big at both the guards and small forward positions, Darvin Ham needs to finish the big starting lineup makeover by moving Anthony Davis to power forward and starting Christian Wood at center.

Moving LeBron James to point guard, opens up a starting spot to pair a second big with Anthony Davis. Because Reddish and Vanderbilt are not proven dead-eye 3-point shooters, the Lakers need a stretch second big.
The two candidates with the size and length and 3-point shooting gravity to be the Lakers’ second big are 6′ 8″ Christian Wood and Rui Hachimura. Wood has produced the 2nd best plus/minus on the team and is best fit.

Christian Wood also has a team best +7.6 NetRtg playing next to Anthony Davis. Much of the team’s success early in the season was the result of complementary two-bigs lineups with Chris Wood and Anthony Davis.
Wood is also part of four of the five top rated Lakers’ five-man lineups that have played together for more than 10 minutes this season. The stats and the eye test both say Christian as the ideal second big to play with AD.

As the Lakers approach December 15, there’s also a chance Pelinka will trade some of the Lakers 12-deep roster to upgrade their 10-man rotation and improve their chances of finally winning their 18th championship.
Pelinka will certainly be watching how the Pacers, Timberwolves, and Jazz do since Myles Turner, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Lauri Markkanen would be perfect upgrades over Christian Wood, whom L.A. will lose to free agency.

Wood’s ability to shoot from all three levels creates spacing for Davis to offensively dominate in the paint and at the rim while his elite length and mobility enable him both to protect the rim and switch on the perimeter.

Why Lakers’ Super Big Lineup Could Be Juggernaut

Lakers’ Super Big 10-Man Rotation

The Lakers’ super big starting lineup boasts five tall, long, and athletic players from 6′ 8″ and 6′ 10″ with wingspans greater than 7′ whose size and length advantages can dominate the paint and glass at all five positions.

What the Lakers super big lineup provides is three difference-making enhancements over the team’s current starting lineup: LeBron James playing point guard, two elite wing defenders, two elite big scorers.
Each improvement alone represents a major upgrade of the Lakers’ starting lineup. Combined, they represent a transformation that could turn the Lakers new super big starting lineup a juggernaut at both ends.

Remember when LeBron James kept telling Darvin Ham that he could play the point? With Cam and Vando defending the opposing team’s best guards and wings, the Lakers can literally unleash LeBron James to play the one. Surrounding James with elite 3-point shooters was the old school solution to optimizing the King. The Lakers’ new school path to optimizing LeBron is surrounding him with championship size, length, and athleticism.

Offensively, the Lakers’ super big starting lineup will be heavily dependent upon LeBron James’ and Christian Wood’s 3-point shooting but should be totally dominant when it comes to winning the key PIP and MFT battles. Defensively, teams are going to find it very difficult to score on the Lakers’ new super big lineup, whose size, length, and physicality is going to shrink the court and make it very difficult for offenses to create spacing to shoot.

The Lakers have a unique opportunity to create a championship caliber super big starting lineup with five 6′ 8″ to 6′ 10″ players who would have size, length, and physicality advantages at all five positions on the court.

Lakers’ 4th Quarter Against Suns Reveals Championship Blueprint

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After seven quarters of searching, the Lakers finally found a lineup to build upon as they went jumbo sized with Christian Wood joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis to stun the Suns with a big fourth quarter comeback.

Trailing by 12 after three quarters with a grim 0–2 start looming, Darvin Ham smartly put the Lakers’ new LeBron James load management scheme on hold and committed to playing a defensive oriented jumbo sized lineup.
Ham’s new closing lineup with a LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Chris Wood front court and D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent or Austin Reaves backcourt won the fourth quarter 28–11 for a wild 100–95 comeback win.

That lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Christian Wood played 10 minutes last night with a solid 114.3 offensive rating, impossible 23.8 defensive rating, and elite 77.8 net rating.
The same jumbo sized, defensive oriented lineup with Reaves instead of Russell played 5 minutes last night and posted a dominant 133.3 offensive rating, strong 66.7 defensive rating, and impressive 66.7 net rating.

Anthony Davis wants to play the four and the Lakers want to play two bigs. The Lakers’ new closing lineup just pushed the odds of those developments happening from pure preseason fantasy to regular season eventuality.

Why Lakers Should Start New Two Bigs Lineup?

It may take Darvin Ham time to get there but there are compelling reasons why starting a version of the Lakers’ new closing lineup would optimize the paint point and free throw differentials that encompass the team’s identity.

First and foremost, the Lakers won last night’s game due to the 29-point differential in their favor from points-in-the-paint and made-free-throws, which has been the heart of their identity as a team under Darvin Ham. Heading into camp, the Lakers reportedly wanted to play two bigs during the regular season like they did to win the 23020 bubble championship. Until the fourth quarter last night, the Lakers played traditional lineups.

The success the Lakers had in the fourth quarter with the new closing lineup cannot be ignored or marginalized. While Vincent increased the defensive intensity, the big lineup change buzz was about Christian Wood.
Look for Ham to give the new closing lineup a deeper look over the next few games. While the front court appears set, Reddish and Vanderbilt could also force their way into the conversation about who will be the guards.

Ultimately, Christian Wood will join the Lakers starting lineup alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and either D’Angelo Russell or Gabe Vincent. That lineup’s a blueprint for an NBA championship.

How Do Lakers Handle LeBron Defending Wing

The major con against the Lakers playing two bigs with Anthony Davis and Christian Wood is that it could force soon-to-be 39-years old LeBron James to have to defend and chase younger wing scorers around multiple screens.

Strategically, while the Lakers obviously want to avoid wearing LeBron out defending threes, optimizing their identity as a physical defensive oriented team that lives in the paint and on the free throw line is their top priority. The Lakers can easily solve the problem of LeBron chasing wing scorers around screens by strategically switching everything on defense, which would also work better with the drop coverage Lakers’ bigs like to play.

The Lakers’ defensive identity is not defined by point-of-attack speed and quickness but by dominant size and length that shrinks the court and forces teams into live-ball turnovers that the Lakers turn into fast breaks.
Playing Christian Wood at center instead of Taurean Prince at small forward gives the Lakers positional size advantage at all three front court positions. That size advantage is integral to the Lakers identity as a team.

The Lakers need to switch everything on defense to keep LeBron from having to chase wing scorers around screens and prevent teams from using screens to get into the paint for easy floaters over our drop coverage.

Four Possible Championship-Caliber Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineups

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The new and improved version of the Los Angeles Lakers start training camp with 6 players potentially competing for the 2 remaining starting positions alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves.

Gabe Vincent with his superior defense and better playoff performance should win the Lakers’ starting point guard job over lame duck D’Angelo Russell, who will almost certainly be moved before the trade deadline. Unless Reaves fails his early season audition to become the team’s next starting point guard, there’s no way the Lakers go into the playoffs next June with Dlo at point. Lakers will finish season with new point guard.

That leaves Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood as the 4 players who’ll be competing to be the Lakers’ fifth starter next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Gabe Vincent.
Each potential fifth starter has their strengths. Vanderbilt would give the Lakers their best defensive lineup, Wood their best offensive lineup, Hayes their biggest front court, and Hachimura their most versatile fivesome.

Looming over the intense competition to start is newly extended superstar Anthony Davis’ continued preference to play power forward and renewed request not to play as many minutes at center this season as the last two. While Anthony Davis wants to play the four, LeBron James likely needs to play the four, which is why the Lakers are also considering two starting lineups where James plays the four and two where Davis plays the four.

There’s also competition within the competition as Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura fight to be the starting small forward while Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood battle to win the starting and backup center jobs. Training camp and preseason will ultimately determine whether the Lakers open the season with a traditional starting lineup with Vanderbilt or Hachimura or a two-bigs starting lineup with Hayes or Wood at the five.

While the Lakers are likely to start the season with either Vanderbilt or Hachimura as the fifth starter, there will be constant pressure during the season to give Hayes and/or Wood their inevitable opportunity to start.
It’s entirely possible that we will see a progression where the Lakers start the season with Vanderbilt as the fifth starter, then change to Hachimura, then change to Hayes, and finally ending with Wood as the fifth starter.

So let’s take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of the four possible championship-caliber Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineups featuring Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, or Christian Wood.

1. The ‘Jarred Vanderbilt’ Starting Lineup

The ‘Jarred Vanderbilt’ starting lineup with Vincent, Reaves, Vanderbilt, James, and Davis should be the Lakers’ strongest defensive lineup as it includes the best defender at every one of the five positions on the team.

Gabe Vincent at point guard, Austin Reaves at shooting guard, Jarred Vanderbilt at small forward, LeBron James at power forward, and Anthony Davis at center are each the best defender on the team at their position. Darvin Ham is a defense first coach so it’s not a stretch to imagine him deciding to start his best defensive team and to give Jarred Vanderbilt the opportunity to improve his offense performance and remain a starter.

Vanderbilt was a major factor in the Lakers post trade deadline finish to make the playoffs and was rewarded with a 4-year $48 million extension despite struggling to stay on the court in the playoffs due to his offense. The Lakers had Vando working 1–on-1 with Phil Handy all summer to improve his 3-point shot and back-to-the-basket game. He apparently has also grown taller over the last summer and now claims to be 6′ 11.”

How the additional height affects his game offensively and defensively will be one of the top stories in camp. If Vando can raise his 3-point shooting from 30% to 36%, he could easily lock up the starting small forward job.
The Lakers and Vanderbilt were smart to wait to sign the extension so he would not be eligible to be traded until next summer. That gives Vando and the Lakers more time for him to work on his offense and overall game.

Having said that, if the Lakers do give Vanderbilt an opportunity to start, he’ll likely also be on a short leash because they have three other possible championship-caliber starting lineups to whom they could quickly turn.

2. The ‘Rui Hachimura’ Starting Lineup

The ‘Rui Hachimura’ starting lineup with Vincent, Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis is the favorite to start the season as it gives the Lakers needed size and shooting but also allows LeBron to play power forward.

After showing he was capable of banging bodies with Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference Finals, Hachimura has worked hard on slimming down in anticipation of playing more small forward the coming season.
At 6′ 8″ with a 7′ 2″ wingspan, Rui has the versatility to play down or up a position. In the playoffs, he showed he could play up and bang bodies with a five as well as play down and guard smaller and quicker wing threes.

Critically, Rui playing the three allows LeBron to play power forward, which is the position he is best suited to defend at this point in his career. The last thing the Lakers want is LeBron chasing wings around screens. Starting Hachimura is also a more versatile and innovative way for the Lakers to play two-bigs. While Rui’s best as a four, he can play down to three or up to five. Rui, LeBron, and Anthony can three, four, or five.

The big question is which Rui Hachimura will the Lakers see this season? Will it be the player they traded for who had an excellent finish to the regular season or the player emerged as a potential star in the playoffs?
The answer is probably somewhere in the middle but with untapped upside as Darvin Ham, Phil Handy, and this young Lakers’ coaching staff seems to have a talent for figuring out how to grow and develop young players.

Right now, Rui Hachimura is the poster child for the great success the Lakers’ young coaching staff has had in turning around project players. If Rui gets a chance to start, he could easily turn it into his permanent job.

3. The ‘Jaxson Hayes’ Starting Lineup

The ‘Jaxson Hayes’ starting lineup with Vincent, Reaves, James, Davis, and Hayes would give the Lakers’ their biggest front court with Haves at the five and Davis at the four but would require James to play and defend the three.

While it’s easier for the Lakers to start Vanderbilt or Hachimura, players from last season’s team who could allow James to not have to play the three, pressure will ultimately grow to start two bigs so Davis can play the four. Before they even had an opportunity to sign Christian Wood, the Lakers had penciled in Jaxson Hayes as the likely starting center in a two-bigs lineup that allowed Anthony Davis to play his preferred power forward.

There’s a good argument that Jaxson Hayes is the better candidate to start next to Anthony Davis in a Lakers’ two-bigs lineup than Christian Wood because Darvin Ham would prefer his defense over the latter’s offense.
Just as Christian Wood is insurance against Anthony Davis getting injured, he’s also better suited to be AD’s backup than Jaxson Hayes, who does not have the offensive chops to score at all three levels like Wood can do.

Jaxson Hayes is viewed by the Lakers as a traditional defensive oriented center like Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee, which essentially makes him the perfect candidate to fill the same regular season role they each filled. Late last season, the Lakers suddenly saw a sea change in how the team performs when one of their superstars rests. For the first time, they lost the minutes Anthony Davis rested but not the minutes LeBron James rested.

Starting Jaxson Hayes would not only allow Anthony Davis to play his preferred power forward position but also allow Christian Wood to come off the bench and give the Lakers an able replacement when AD rests.

4. The ‘Christian Wood’ Starting Lineup

The ‘Christian Wood’ starting lineup with Vincent, Reaves, James, Davis, and Wood should be the Lakers’ strongest offensive lineup as it includes the best shooters and scorers at every one of the five positions on the team.

Ultimately, this could be the Lakers most dangerous starting lineup as it would boast both dominating size with a Wood, Davis, and James front court and high volume 3-point shooting with Vincent, Reaves, and Wood. While Wood is the perfect backup for Davis, there’s also a good argument his greatest value could be playing alongside Anthony Davis because of his ability to complement him by spacing the court to free him to attack.

Christian Wood at the five and Anthony Davis at the four would give the Lakers one of the most versatile and dangerous front court duos in the league with two players who can both score and defend at all three levels. Wood will have to prove he can pay attention to defense and become a team-first player who fits the Lakers culture and personality. Once he does that and earns Ham’s trust, he will quickly become the Lakers fifth starter.

Wood is in many ways the perfect fit to play both with and without Davis. Since the Lakers signed him to a 1+1 contract with a second year player option, the the NT MLE would be their only chance at re-signing him. There may come a time this season when the Lakers will regret not trading Jalen Hood-Schifino or Maxwell Lewis to the Mavericks for Christian Wood just so they would have gotten his Bird rights so they could re-sign him.

While it may take time for him to become acclimated to playing defense, a ‘Christian Wood’ starting lineup with Wood and Davis as the two stud bigs should ultimately become the Lakers’ preferred fivesome to start games.

Christian Wood Signing Makes Lakers So Deep It Doesn’t Matter Who Starts

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The remade Los Angeles Lakers are so deep after signing Christian Wood that it doesn’t matter who starts because they have the depth and diversity to create multiple starting lineups that could win an NBA championship.

That Rob Pelinka was able to put together this roster from the ashes of the Russell Westbrook trade while both getting younger and remaining under the hard cap is nothing short of miraculous and deserving of EOY honors. After passing opportunities to trade Westbrook last offseason, Pelinka parlayed difference-making trade deadline and offseason moves to remake the lottery Lakers into what should be one of the championship favorites.

In a different universe, these Lakers could be a team that alternates two or more different starting lineups to better matchup with and beat specific opponents who play big or small or superstars who need special attention.
Regardless of who the Lakers start, they have so much depth and diversity off the bench that they can easily make quick changes to fix problems or improve matchups. Look for Ham to consistently play 11 or 12 players.

That 11/12-man rotation includes superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis plus five shooters who can score 20 points any game in D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Christian Wood. The Lakers’ greatly increased size, dramatically improved outside shooting, and desperately needed new options on the wing have provided the depth and diversity to create multiple championship caliber starting lineups.

Think how deep an NBA team must be to have the ability to create multiple championship caliber starting lineups. There are probably other Lakers players like Vincent and Hayes who could also have shots at being starters. What we’re likely to see from the Lakers is an evolving starting lineup that enters training camp with Rui Hachimura as the favorite fifth starter but with Cam Reddish and Christian Wood looking to take that spot from him.

With Christian Wood signed, this Lakers’ roster is so deep and talented with so many trustworthy starting lineup options and promising low risk, high reward projects that it does not matter which players end up starting.

The Three Most Likely Lakers Starting Lineups

Assuming James, Davis, Reaves, and Russell start, the Lakers’ best options for a fifth starter include last year playoffs hero Rui Hachimura, talented 3&D wing Cam Reddish, or just acquired stretch five Christian Wood.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ overriding priority in deciding who will be the team’s fifth starter is to find the player who best fits with and complements the Russell and Reaves backcourt and the James and Davis front court.
Needless to say, the player who is the best fit and best complements the other four starters may not be the fifth best player on the team. Or even the sixth or seventh. The key is who makes the Lakers’ starting lineup best.

While healthy competition at multiple positions will likely determine who ends up being the Lakers fifth starter, the current favorite to win the fifth starting position heading into training camp is probably Rui Hachimura. Rui played extremely well in the playoffs, his career 51.9% from deep in the playoffs being a record despite a career 34.7% from deep for the regular season. Lakers hope Rui can will break out this year as a second tier star.

Should Rui not provide consistent floor spacing and quality wing defense needed from the fifth starter, the Lakers could turn to a young prototype small forward Cam Reddish who has the talent to be a legitimate 3&D wing.
Reddish has no chance to start when the season begins but he could have an opportunity once he earns Ham’s trust because he has the size and skills at both ends to allow James and Davis to continue to play the four and five.

Regardless of how well Hachimura or Reddish play, it’s almost inevitable the Lakers ultimately revert to starting two-bigs lineups with Wood at the five to accommodate Davis’ stated desire to play more four and less five. Once Wood proves he’s bought into the Lakers philosophy and Ham is confident he’s ready, Christian should become the Lakers’ starting center with his ability to shoot the basketball from deep and protect the rim.

Ultimately, Anthony Davis wants to play the four and the Lakers want to play two bigs, which means that Christian Wood should eventually become the Lakers’ fifth starter as opposed to Rui Hachimura or Cam Reddish.

Why It Doesn’t Matter Who Starts for Lakers

Ultimately, who starts for the Lakers doesn’t really matter because all the team’s viable starting lineups are championship caliber with two superstars and a talented deep and diverse roster that can shoot, pass, and defend.

As long as Davis and James are healthy and playing at their peak, this Lakers roster is too deep and diverse with plug-and-play rotation players who shoot, rebound, pass, defend not to contend for a championship.
It’s not going to make a difference whether it’s Hachimura, Reddish, or Wood who becomes the fifth starter alongside James, Davis, Reaves, and Russell. In fact, there’s a good chance all three could start at some point.

During their championship run in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup featured JaVale McGee starting at center to begin the season, Dwight Howard to close out the season, and Anthony Davis during the playoffs.
There’s a possible scenario where the Lakers begin the season with Rui Hachimura as the fifth starter, switch to Cam Reddish midway through the season, and finally go two-bigs with Christian Wood at five in the playoffs.

For a team as deep and diverse as these Lakers, who plays to close out quarters, halves, and games could be more important than who starts the game, provided the starters don’t consistently fall way behind opponents. Especially for the regular season, the Lakers would be wise to take full advantage of their depth and diversity by limiting the time played by both Anthony Davis and LeBron James to less than 30 minutes per game.

Ultimately, how Hachimura, Reddish, and Wood actually play on the court, fill their roles, and fit with the other Lakers starters will determine who ends up being the fifth starter. That’s what camp and preseason are for. Unlike other seasons, the Lakers enter camp with major positional battles both in the back and front courts. With lots of questions that need to be answered, the Lakers floor is the playoffs and ceiling championship.

The Lakers are extremely fortunate that they were able to build a roster so deep and diverse that it allows them to create multiple different starting lineups good enough to compete for and win an NBA championship.