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Could Vando Fix Lakers’ Defense Without Sacrificing Top-5 Offense?

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That’s the question that will ultimately decide whether the Jekyll/Hyde Los Angeles Lakers can survive the inevitable Play-In Tournament and pull off another miracle playoff run and overcome the champion Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers surrounding James and Davis with three offense-first role players who can shoot the three worked well enough to turn their season around but now they need to fix their defense to be able to go any further.
Since January 15, when Darvin Ham reinstated D’Angelo Russell as the team’s starting point guard, the Lakers transformed their offense into a top-5 juggernaut but at the cost of seeing their defense dropping to bottom-5.

Obviously, the Lakers’ moves to boost the offense of their starting lineup was a rousing success but went too far. The Lakers would have been smarter to start at least one role player who could play good defense.
Fortunately, they’ll get a chance to fix this issue soon as Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Cam Reddish get healthy and are ready to play over the next couple of weeks, hopefully in time to impact the Lakers’ playoffs.

Right now, the Lakers appear doomed to having to win a playoff spot via the Play-In Tournament. With just 14 games left in the regular season, the best the Lakers can realistically hope for is to end up with #7 or #8 in West.
At best, the Lakers would have to win a play-in game to get to the playoffs and, at worst, two play-in games. Ideally, the Lakers want to win the #7 seed to avoid having to play the champion Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Let’s look at why the Russell/Reaves backcourt won’t work, the chance Vando will return before playoffs, whether he should start or come off the bench, and whether he’ll be the difference-maker the Lakers need.

Why Russell/Reaves Backcourt Won’t Work

While the D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves backcourt has elevated the Lakers’ offense to top-5 NBA status, the duo’s defensive liabilities have been a major problem, allowing opponents to average over 120 points per game.

Since January 15th when Darvin Ham reinstated D’Angelo Russell as the team’s starting point guard, the Lakers have posted an elite offensive rating of 119.1, second in the league behind the Celtics record-setting 123.4.
The problem for the Lakers is that their defensive rating during this stretch fell to 118.2, which ranks 28th out of 30 NBA teams and which reduces the team’s overall net rating since January 15th to just +1.0, which ranks 14th.

Surrounding their two superstars three offense-first players who could shoot the three transformed the Lakers into an offensive juggernaut but went too far and brutally exposed the team’s injury-weakened defense.
The Lakers desperately need better point-of-attack defense and rebounding and hope Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Cam Reddish will return soon and help them fix their defense down the stretch and in the playoffs.

While Ham does not like to change his starting lineups, there’s little doubt the Lakers need to replace one of their three offense-first starting role players with a defense-first starting role player to fix their poor defense.
Vincent will be the first defense-first role player who will soon be available, followed shortly afterward by Vanderbilt and then Reddish. Ham will likely wait to make any change in the starting lineup until Vanderbilt is ready.

The Lakers know they cannot win a championship with a defensively challenged Russell and Reaves backcourt. Once Vanderbilt, Vincent, or Reddish is healthy, Austin Reaves will likely move back to the bench.

Chance Vando Will Return Before Playoffs?

While Jarred Vanderbilt has not yet been cleared for non-contact work, the Lakers still remain hopeful he will be able to return to action sometime before April to give them the needed defensive push to make the playoffs.

Before spraining his right foot on February 1st, Vando had been playing the best basketball of his career. In the 10 games since January 15, he averaged 9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 22.7 mpg.
Jarred’s stats were up from last year’s 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 24.0 mpg. His 109.4 defensive rating since January 15th was the team-best and better than last season’s good 112.1.

Vando was originally projected to be re-evaluated early January. While he has not been cleared for non-contact or contact work at this point, he is no longer wearing a boot and could be able to return in a couple of weeks.
The Lakers essentially have four weeks and 14 games remaining in the 2023–24 regular season, with 7 or half of the games the last two weeks of March and the other 7 or half of the games in the first two weeks of April.

Besides being 6′ 10,” Jarred Vanderbilt is the best defender of the Lakers three defense-first role players. Vincent and Reddish are better point-of-attack defenders than Russell and Reaves but just not legit starter quality.
Vando is also the best offensive player of the three and also can point to the great success of last season’s run to the West conference finals to support his candidacy to replace Austin Reaves in the Lakers’ starting lineup.

The Lakers hope Vando will be ready to return by the end of March, which would give him two weeks and 7 games to get ready for play-in tournament, where the Lakers will have to win 2 games just to get into the playoffs.

Should Vando Start or Come Off the Bench?

The quickest and surest way for the Lakers to upgrade their starting lineup defense would be to turn starting shooting guard Austin Reaves into a sixth man and go big by replacing him with POA defender Jarred Vanderbilt.

Replacing the 6′ 5″ Austin Reaves with the 6′ 10″ Jarred Vanderbilt would not only improve the Lakers’ backcourt defense but also dramatically increase their front court size to help their defensive and offensive rebounding.
Moving Austin Reaves to lead guard off the bench will give the Lakers’ second unit desperately needed offensive firepower while allowing Vando to upgrade the starting lineup’s point-of-attack defense and rebounding.

Replacing Reaves with Vando would give the Lakers a jumbo starting lineup with 6′ 5″ Russell at point, 6′ 10″ Vanderbilt at shooting guard, 6′ 8″ James at small forward, 6′ 8″ Hachimura at power forward, and 6′ 10″ Davis at center.
This big lineup would not only allow the Lakers to ‘switch everything’ on the perimeter on defense, which is a better fit for the drop coverage Ham likes to play, but would also dramatically improve L.A.’s 3-point defense.

Playing shooting guard is actually a better fit for Vando than power forward. At shooting guard, Vando will have a dramatic size advantage over whomever guards him, which should help his contributions on offense.
That would help the Lakers control their defensive boards and limit the number of second chance opportunities they give up. Vando gives the Lakers a second elite defender to complement Anthony Davis on defense.

While Vando will likely come off the bench when he first returns from injury, look for the Lakers to move him into the starting shooting guard role once he’s 100% recovered from the foot sprain and in shape to play.

Could Vando Be Lakers’ Difference Maker?

Vando is the only player on the Lakers with the defensive talent to be the difference maker who can help the Lakers win two Play-In games to create a first-round rematch of last season’s West Conference Finals vs. Nuggets.

The Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup desperately needs a strong point-of-attack perimeter defender to pair with offense-first point guard D’Angelo Russell to restore a reasonable balance between offense and defense. Swapping offense-first Reaves for defense-first Vanderbilt gives the Lakers an elite defensive stopper with the size, quickness, and athleticism to guard opposing team’s stars like Steph Curry, Devin Booker, or Luka Doncic.

If Vando can produce 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while defending opponents’ top scorers, the Lakers would enjoy a better offense and defense balance in both their starting lineup and bench rotations.
Instead of having a top-5 offense and bottom-5 defense, the Lakers goal would be to generate a top-10 ranking both on offense and defense. That would give them the consistent play at both ends that they’ve been lacking.

While having Vincent and Reddish back for limited minutes will help, the key to transforming the Lakers starting lineup defense is Jarred Vanderbilt, who is the only role player on the Lakers who can be the difference maker.
We saw back in late January when Vando was in full stride that the Lakers defense could be a top-10. By replacing Reaves with Vando, the Lakers can not only fix their starting lineup defense but also their bench offense.

Jarred Vanderbilt is the only player on the Los Angeles Lakers current roster who is a difference maker capable of fixing the team’s starting lineup defense without sacrificing what’s now the NBA’s second best team offense.

Struggling Lakers, Facing Difficult Schedule, Desperately Need Trade

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Everything that had been right for the Lakers suddenly turned bad and the sunny optimism they could compete for an NBA championship without having to make a major trade has now been replaced with real concern.

The struggling Lakers have lost 3 of their last 4 games and face a daunting schedule for the rest of December where they could easily lose 5 of their 7 remaining games to end the year as a play-in team with a 17–17 record.
What a week ago looked like a Lakers team finally healthy and ready to start a long winning streak now suddenly looks like a flawed team that desperately needs a trade to upgrade starting lineup and backup center.

LAKERS’ REMAINING GAMES IN DECEMBER 2023

Over the next 2 weeks, the Lakers start with a 3-game road trip to Chicago, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City; followed by 2 games at home vs. Boston and Charlotte; and ending with Minnesota and New Orleans on the road.
Right now, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers beating the Timberwolves twice or the Thunder or Pelicans on the road, or Celtics at home. Then there are the two obvious trap games on the road against Chicago and Charlotte.

It’s not an understatement to say how the Lakers do over the next 7 games will likely determine how aggressive they are before the trade deadline. Right now, the Lakers are simply not a legitimate championship contender.

Anthony Davis Soars But Lakers Lose LeBron Minutes

The most surprising stats from the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 4 games has been how Anthony Davis has taken his game to a new level but suddenly for some reason the team could not win the usual LeBron James minutes.

What’s more worrisome is the Lakers’ recent 4-game slide has happened despite a historic performance from Anthony Davis where he averaged 35.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 36.6 mpg.
Over the last 4 games, Anthony Davis shot 63.6% from the field, 66.7% from deep, and 72% from the line. He posted a team-best +1.1 net rating for the 4 games. Despite AD’s play, the Lakers were lucky not to lose all 4 games.

Statistically, the Lakers’ problem was LeBron, who posted a team-worst -19.1 net rating the last 4 games. That is extremely concerning considering LeBron’s age and mileage and the Lakers’ reliance on winning his minutes.
Over the last 4 games, LeBron averaged 27.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 11.3 assists with just 2.7 turnovers in 38.4 mpg. His 107.4 OffRtg was pedestrian but his 126.6 DefRtg was team second-worst after Christian Wood’s 127.1.

Bottom line, the Lakers have been in tailspin since winning the In League Tournament and the situation as reached urgent levels as the Lakers need LeBron James and the rest of the roster to play better if they want to win.

Time for Darvin Ham to Change Lakers’ Starting Lineup

Darvin Ham has stuck with a starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. That lineup has started 12 games and played 132 minutes, most of any Lakers’ lineup.

Heading into what could be the most critical 7 games of this young season, the Lakers need to regroup and refocus their effort on playing with the energy and confidence that led them to win the In-Season Tournament. While the Lakers want to see how the addition of Gabe Vincent changes their rotations before actually making any trades, it will be interesting to see if Gabe’s presence could change who starts and plays point guard.

The Lakers need a starting lineup upgrade for D’Angelo Russell at point guard and Taurean Prince at small forward. Lakers need a defense-first 3&D point guard starter and a high-volume 3-point shooting wing starter.
Facing 7 challenging games to close out 2023, Darvin Ham should seriously consider replacing D’Angelo Russell with Gabe Vincent at point guard and replacing Taurean Prince with Rui Hachimura at small forward.

Hopefully, the quick road trip will give the Lakers players an opportunity to bond with each other and figure out how to turn this season around before it’s too late. The Lakers are unlikely to make any move until the deadline.
That means Ham and the Lakers are going to have to figure out what’s wrong with the Lakers using their current roster. They won’t be able to count in getting help from the trade market until after January 15th.

In the end, the Lakers need to survive the next 7 games. Losing 5 of the last 7 would mean the Lakers lost 8 of their last 11 games and would clearly signal that the Lakers were going to be major buyers at the trade deadline.

Should Lakers Let Blazers Know What They Would Give up for Jrue Holiday?

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While they can’t trade for Jrue Holiday until December 15, the Los Angeles Lakers should consider letting Blazers’ general manager Joe Cronin know what they would be willing to give up for Jrue if Portland were to wait.

The grand prize the Lakers could give the Blazers for waiting to trade Holiday would be their unprotected 2029 first round pick sandwiched between two pick swaps, the same draft capital they received for Dame.
While a half dozen contending teams are interested in trading for Holiday, the Blazers are reportedly seeking at least two first round picks for him. There’s a good chance the Lakers’ offer could be the best the Blazers get.

An unprotected Lakers post-LeBron first round pick is the gold standard for draft capital due to its top-5 potential and the Trailblazers could essentially end up with three of those picks for just waiting two and a half months.
By publicizing their potential offer, the Lakers could establish a market for Jrue Holiday that no other team could be willing or able to match. At worst, the offer would help the Blazers get for more for trading Jrue Holiday.

With Damian Lillard teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kris Middleton and Bradley Beal joining Kevin Durant and Kevin Booker, the Lakers likely need to add a third superstar before the deadline to keep up.
Trading for Jrue Holiday to create a Lakers big three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis would immediately catapult the Lakers into the NBA’s latest championship favorites tier along with Bucks, Suns, and Nuggets.

Let’s look at the proposed Jrue Holiday trade and why it’s a win-win for both the Lakers and Blazers, the team’s post-trade depth chart and rotation, and the team’s post-trade salary cap and the impact of a Jrue Holiday extension.

Jrue Holiday Trade

There’s no available player who’s a better fit for what the Lakers need right now to complement LeBron and AD than Jrue Holiday, who’s 33-years old but has played the best basketball of his career the last three seasons.

But make no mistake, the unprotected 2029 pick and 2028 and 2030 pick swaps the Lakers would give up for 33-year old Jrue Holiday are the draft capital Los Angeles has been saving to replace 38-year old LeBron James. Strategically, the Lakers would not invest the draft capital to trade for Holiday unless they were essentially also willing to re-sign him long term as their third superstar and potential replacement for LeBron James.

Jrue Holiday would give the Lakers the best 3&D point guard in the league, Last year, he averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 boards, 7.4 assists, 1.6 stocks in 32.6 mpg shooting 47.9% from field, 38.4% from deep, and 85.9% from line. Holiday’s last three seasons with the Bucks have been the best of his career and have given him an opportunity to show why he is the best two-way point guard in the league today and worth the investment despite his age.

While playing in Milwaukee the last three seasons, Jrue Holiday averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.9 stocks in 32.5 mpg while shooting 49.4% from the field, 39.5% from deep, and 80.2% from the line. Defensively, Jrue made the NBA All-Defensive Team each of the last three years. He made All-Defensive 1st Team in 2023 and 2021 and All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2022. He’s now been 1st Team 3 times and 2nd Team 2 times.

There’s an argument pairing the league’s best frontcourt defender with the league’s best backcourt defender could catapult the Lakers into the catbird’s spot when it comes to winning playoff matchups and championships.

Post-Trade Rotation

The key to the Jrue Holiday trade being a slam dunk winner from the Los Angeles Lakers’ standpoint is being able to trade for the perfect third star to complement James and Davis without giving up Reaves or Hachimura.

The L.A. Lakers new post-trade starting lineup would boast Jrue Holiday at point guard, Austin Reaves at shooting guard, Rui Hachimura at small forward, LeBron James at power forward, and Anthony Davis at center.
While Holiday has not had a great playoff record, there’s no question he would be a game-changing upgrade at point guard over D’Angelo Russell at both ends, especially defensively with his elite point-of-attack prowess.

The Lakers’ primary backups at each position would include Max Christie at point guard, Cam Reddish at shooting guard, Jarred Vanderbilt at small forward, Christian Wood at power forward, and Jaxson Hayes at center. Trading Vincent and Prince would cost the Lakers two proven primary backups but would fortunately also open needed rotation opportunities for Reddish and Hayes, two low risk, high reward players with real potential.

Since the Laker traded three players for Jrue Holiday, they would have an active roster with only twelve players, leaving three open roster spots that could be filled by signing free agents or by promoting two-way players.
Austin Reaves would probably fill the role of backup point guard as well as starting shooting guard but the Lakers could easily look to promote both D’Moi Hodge or Colin Castleton should they have a strong preseasons.

While trading for Holiday could backfire and end up costing the Lakers the draft capital they need to replace James, it also has the potential to bring home at least one and maybe two or three additional NBA championships.

Post-Trade Salary Cap

There’s no way the Lakers would give up an unprotected first round pick and surrounding pick swaps for Jrue Holiday without tentatively agreeing upon a contract extension to sign and lock him up for three more years.

The above chart lays out the Lakers’ salary cap commitments for the next five years but does not include extensions for LeBron James or Jrue Holiday so the question is what happens should the Lakers extend both players?
Under the new CBA, there are competitive advantages to stay under the $172 million 1st tax apron and $182.5 million 2nd tax apron, which are both projected to increase 10% each season like the $136 million salary cap.

The above chart clearly shows the Lakers would still be able to stay below the 1st and 2nd tax aprons in 2023–24 and 2024–25 if James and Holiday declined their player options and signed extensions to start in 2025–26? Because of the expected 10% cap smoothing built into the new CBA due to the NBA’s new TV contracts, the Lakers should have more than $100 million available from 2025–26 on to cover increased pay for James and Holiday.

When you combine how rapidly the salary cap and tax aprons will grow with the team friendly contracts Rob Pelinka and his team have negotiated, the Lakers are poised to win now and after LeBron’s eventual retirement. Trading for Holiday should not only give LeBron motivation to sign an extension to play two more years with the Lakers but also a realistic shot at winning one or two more championships before he eventually retires.

Trading their unprotected 2029 pick and two pick swaps for 33-year old Jrue Holiday would be a gamble but Holiday is the proven elite two-way veteran point guard the Lakers need to transform this young team to champions.

The 10 Questions 10 Laker Players Must Answer to Win Championship

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While the Lakers are confident they can compete for a championship this season, they also know all their optimism is based upon receiving positive answers to major question marks for the 10 key players in their rotation.

Frankly, major questions about every player in their rotation is what makes the Lakers a scary team. Those question marks could raise their ceiling to a championship stratosphere or plummet their floor to a nightmarish abyss. While the Lakers have done an excellent job surrounding their superstars with more size, shooting, and depth, they’re still heavily dependent upon LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy and playing 65+ games.

For purposes of this article, we’re going to assume that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play over 65 games and finish the season healthy and primed for the playoffs. That’s essential for any Lakers championship. We’re also going to assume the Lakers don’t make any more major moves before the start of the season or at the trade deadline. While L.A. is not the favorite, the assumption is the team wants to keep the current roster.

Here are the ten questions ten key Lakers players must answer to win a championship. The Lakers need the first three and five of the remaining seven questions to be answer affirmatively to win the NBA championship.

1. Can Anthony Davis finally take the torch from Lebron James?

With a new 3-year extension locking him in L.A. for the next five years, Anthony Davis has become the Lakers’ franchise face and alpha superstar. For the Lakers to win, AD must reclaim his standing as a top-5 superstar.

The big question is will Davis play the five like last season with James at the four or will the Lakers go two bigs with Hayes or a stretch big like Wood at the five and Davis at the four, where he’ll need to regain his outside shot. Regardless of where Davis ends up playing, he’s going to need to rediscover the outstanding midrange and 3-point shooting stroke he displayed when the Lakers won their 17th NBA championship in the bubble back in 2020.

The Lakers will open the season with two bigs and AD playing his preferred power forward. For the Lakers to win the championship, Davis must take the torch from James and become a legitimate MVP and DPOY candidate.

2. Can LeBron James continue to play like a top-ten superstar?

The coming NBA season could theoretically be LeBron James’ final season in purple and gold as he theoretically could exercise the player option for his final contract year to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The big question for LeBron James is whether he will be able to recover from the foot injury that hobbled him the second half of the season and in the playoffs and prevented him from having his normal explosiveness. Where James will end up playing is also up in the air at the moment. The Lakers push to play two bigs may end up forcing LeBron James to slide from the four to the three, which would then have him defending wings.

The Lakers want to relieve LeBron of the pressure of being the team’s lead scorer and playmaker so he can be the ace in the hole they can call when they need a win. They’re counting on LBJ remaining a top-10 superstar.

3. Can Austin Reaves be 3rd best player on a championship team?

While undrafted 25-year olds who played four years of college basketball are usually considered to have a lower ceiling than younger 20-year olds who were one-and-done in college, Austin Reaves may be the exception.

What gives Reaves a much higher ceiling than expected is his preternatural basketball intelligence, ability to efficiently score the basketball at all three levels, and unique knack for drawing fouls from defenders in the paint. Reaves appears ready to translate his elite playoff performance into an elite regular season performance as Darvin Ham essentially plans to give Austin increased point guard responsibilities to see if that could be his future.

With added experience playing for Team USA, Austin Reaves is poised to enjoy a breakout season where he will get more minutes and touches and have a chance to prove he can be the third star on championship team.

4. Can D’Angelo Russell pull off a regular season redemption?

After a rough conference finals and offseason, D’Angelo Russell was forced to sign a 2-year $36 million contract (with year 2 player option) that waived his ‘no trade’ rights so Lakers will be able to trade him after December 15.

NBA analysts and bloggers have already projected D’Angelo Russell along with recently signed Rui Hachimura, recently drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino, and their 2029 first round pick as the team’s likely trade deadline package. That assumes the Lakers have already made up their mind to move on from Russell, which may not be the smart thing for them to do. Other than the conference finals, Russell was a great fit who had an outstanding season.

While the Lakers may ultimately trade him if the right opportunity arises, D’Angelo Russell is going to be driven to show the conference finals were just a fluke and he’s capable of being a championship starting point guard.

5. Can Jaxson Hayes force his way into Lakers starting lineup?

From all reports, the Los Angeles Lakers are serious about wanting to start 23-year old Jaxson Hayes at center so they can play two bigs and move Anthony Davis to power forward and LeBron James to small forward.

The Lakers believe Hayes can start at center like McGee and Howard did during the 2020 championship run, allowing Anthony Davis to play his preferred four and giving team front court positional size advantage.
For the Lakers’ two bigs plan to work, Jaxson Hayes will have to prove he can do what Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones could not do last summer, which is prove he can be the starting center on a championship team.

Jaxson Hayes is the biggest wild card on a team full of wild cards. A former #8 pick in the draft, Jaxson has the talent and athleticism to be a starter. Now he needs to show the drive and dedication to become a champion.

6. Can Rui Hachimura play in regular season like in playoffs?

After enjoying a career record playoff, Rui Hachimura was rewarded with a 3-year $51 million contract from the Lakers. The question the Lakers have now is whether they’re going to get ‘regular season Rui’ or ‘playoff Rui.’

Frankly, there’s no way ‘regular season Lakers’ get the full ‘playoff Rui,’ who set a record last playoffs shooting 48.7% from deep, which reduced his previous 60.0% playoff 3-point percentage to his still league best 51.9%.
But that doesn’t mean that the Lakers are not going to be thrilled with the more confident, versatile, and impactful version of Rui Hachimura that Darvin Ham, Phil Handy, and LeBron James have somehow molded.

Expect Rui Hachimura to show why he was a #9 pick in the draft and prove he can be a starter or play starter minutes as one of the Lakers’ first players off the bench. Rui could be a candidate for league Most Improved Player.

7. Can Gabe Vincent shoot in regular season like in playoffs?

Like Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent had a sizzling playoff performance for the Miami Heat, shooting a sizzling 37.8% from deep on 6.1 attempts per game making it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Nuggets.

Vincent’s signing is part of the Lakers’ offseason effort to upgrade their 3-point shooting. The Lakers see him a likely shooting upgrade and possible defensive upgrade over Dennis Schroder, the team’s starter last season.
Gabe’s needs to prove he can shoot 37.8% from deep in the regular season, which would be a dramatic improvement over his journeyman 33.9% career regular season and 35.3 career playoff 3-point shooting stats.

Vincent will get a chance in camp to take the starting point guard job away from D’Angelo Russell and could be the Lakers steal in free agency if he can shoot like he did in the playoffs and replace Schroder’s solid defense.

8. Can Taurean Prince be the Lakers’ free agency steal?

Signing Taurean Prince was one of the first moves the Los Angeles Lakers made when free agency opened, locking up the highly coveted 3&D combo forward to a 1-year, $4.5 million contract using their Bi-Annual exception.

Prince gives the Lakers the bigger 3&D wing they’ve desperately needed to guard the elite wing scorers in the West. The 6′ 7′ Prince has a 7′ wingspan and shot over 38% from deep the last four years on 3.5 attempts per game. Signing for the BAE already makes Taurean a free agent steal for the Lakers but what they’ve hoping for is the young veteran who’s a plus defender and proven sniper who can backup either LeBron James or Anthony Davis.

If Taurean Prince plays solid D and shoots over 38% from deep on 3 to 4 attempts per game, he’ll play big minutes, be one of the Lakers’ steals of this free agency, and be an even more coveted free agent next summer.

9. Can Jarred Vanderbilt fix his offensive deficiencies?

As is always the case, the deeper a team gets into the playoffs, the more pressure identifies and takes advantage of its weaknesses. That’s what happened to D’Angelo Russell and it’s what happened to Jarred Vanderbilt.

Vando went from the immediate defensive spark that carried the Lakers into the play-in game and then the playoffs themselves to the player teams refused to guard in the corner, making the Lakers play 4 on 5 on offense. Vando must improve his 3-point shooting and ability to score when given the ball in traffic in the paint. Early reports say he’s changed his shooting stroke and has been working with Phil Handy on improving post moves.

Jarred is in the final year of his contract and could be in for a raise if he shows he’s no longer a liability on offense. He’ll get chances because his defense is so critical but his role and minutes will depend on his offense.

10. Can Cam Reddish break into Lakers 10-man rotation?

The Los Angeles Lakers completed an unusual 2019 NBA Draft Trifecta by signing Cam Reddish, #10 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, to go with #8 pick Jaxson Hayes and #10 pick Rui Hachimura already on the Lakers’ roster.

Like Hayes and Hachimura, Reddish is still looking to find a team where he can finally put his elite talent and athleticism together and find a team on which he can become the best possible player he’s capable of becoming. The Lakers are betting they can do the same for Hayes and Reddish as they may have done for Hachimura. Much as he was a huge rooter for Rui last season, LeBron has already come out and predicted big things for Cam.

Of the three 2019 top-10 draft picks, Cam Reddish is probably the biggest disappointment and has the biggest mountain to climb. Earning his way into a potential championship Lakers’ rotation would be a great first step.