Los Angeles is running it back. Only one player – Taurean Prince – who averaged more than 25 minutes and appeared in a majority of contests is gone. Jordan Goodwin and Christian Koloko were the lone free agent additions to this team. Despite barely making it into the postseason last year, Los Angeles is going to war with the core that won the seventh seed in the Western Conference. That could be a mistake in what looks like a loaded West on paper this season.
There is one big change to note for the Lakers: head coach JJ Redick. The former ESPN pundit parlayed his success in media into a NBA head coaching gig. Redick has not coached before, but he has promised an analytical approach to the game, and he believes a change in scheme can get Los Angeles to the promised land.
Redick has already told the media what he plans to do with his starting lineup. D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have already been named as the primary starters. Those five were very effective last season. The Lakers outscored opponents by 6.6 points every 100 possessions with that lineup on the floor. They posted a 117.7 offensive rating and were in the 87th percentile in defensive rating (111.1). Los Angeles went 23-10 SU when that group started, and the hope is that they can recapture some of that success.
The new regime has also promised more 3-point shooting. The Lakers were a very accurate shooting team last season. They finished seventh in overall shooting (38.7%) and third in non-corner shooting (38.6%). However, Los Angeles finished 28th in frequency of 3-point attempts (32.9%). A higher frequency of attempts will likely cause a dip in overall accuracy, but a higher volume of 3-point attempts will be great for a team that pressures the rim as often as this one.
This team’s biggest question is its depth. Gabe Vincent projects to be their primary backup point guard. Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish give the Lakers solid wing depth, but the minutes behind Davis are going to be an adventure. The Lakers are also hoping Max Christie is going to take a solid step forward in his development. Christie averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game last season. He shot 35.6% from deep. If he can turn into a legitimate scoring threat this bench unit will be in much better shape.
Lakers Win Total Prediction
It is hard to imagine anything other than what we saw from Los Angeles last season. In fact, it seems more plausible this team takes a step back. James played in 71 games last season, the most in a season since 2018. Davis played in 76 contests, the most in his career. Yet, the Lakers finished with the 10th seed. Can they get that same health luck with the two best players? Los Angeles does not have a particularly daunting schedule. It has a net +1 rest advantage for the season and only 13 back-to-backs. But, if they get worse injury luck with their two stars this team could be in for a worse season than a year ago.
Lean: Under 43.5 Wins (-115)
