The Los Angeles Lakers re-signed LeBron James and selected Bronny in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. But, otherwise, it was a relatively quiet offseason and they’ll be rolling into next season with a depth chart very similar to last year’s, when they finished 47-35 and needed the Play-In Tournament just to make the postseason.
Health and luck could lead to better results but that may not be enough to vault them back into contention. But if someone on their roster can enjoy a break-out season and shake up the starting lineup, it could completely change the dynamic.
Anthony Davis, LeBon James and Austin Reaves are locks for the Lakers’ starting lineup, which leaves D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura as the two biggest question marks. Russell’s hold on the point guard position seems most tenuous but given that his primary competition for the role is Gabe Vincent and second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, he could be more likely to stay there by default.
Hachimura has emerged as a solid floor-spacer and improved his shooting percentages in the first year of his new contract with the Lakers. But he’s also a sub-par defender and rebounder at the 4 and his lack of complementary creation often sticks out in certain lineups.
However, because LeBron can play both the 3 and the 4, the Lakers could theoretically move Hachimura to the bench for an offensive boost to the second-unit and plug a variety of different players into that starting role. Here are a few who could make a long-term claim on it before the end of the season.
3. Dalton Knecht
Knecht looked like a steal when he fell to the Lakers at No. 17 in the 2024 NBA Draft, a wing shooter and creator with too much scoring upside to pass up at that point. It wasn’t clear exactly how much opportunity there would be for him to contribute immediately with James, Hachimura, Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and other wings ahead of him in the rotation. But he made a compelling argument that he’s ready to right away, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals in three games at NBA Summer League, shooting 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Knecht has less experience than any of the other wings on the Lakers roster but he also has a more complete and well-rounded offensive game than anyone besides James or Reaves and has experience as a primary scorer and creator — averaging 21.7 points per game with a 57.8 true shooting percentage and 32.8 usage rate at Tennessee last season. If the Lakers’ offense gets off to a the same slow start that it did last season, it might be worth experimenting with him in the starting lineup and if he’s hitting shots, he may be hard to remove.
2. Max Christie
Christie played just 1456 minutes across his first two seasons with the Lakers but they liked what they saw enough to sign him to a four-year, $32 million contract this offseason. The 6-foot-6 swingman has played a lot of garbage time but averaged 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per 36 minutes, shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s probably not going to be an elite wing defender but Christie has the potential to be above average at that end of the floor. He also looks like a much more reliable outside shooter than other bench options like Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish and even Vincent. Between that floor-spacing ability and the flashes he’s shown as an offensive connector and complementary creator he could be an interesting look next to Reaves and Russell, creating a small lineup but one that prioritizes shooting and on-ball flexibility.
1. Jarred Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt was only healthy enough to appear in 29 games last season but the Lakers clearly missed him. He’s essentially the photo-negative of Hachimura — an elite and versatile defender who doesn’t really impact the defense without the ball and makes a difference with energy and aggression rather than offensive polish.
But the Lakers’ best defensive lineups will almost certainly include Vanderbilt next to Davis and, given that the rest of the bench leans toward defensive impact with players like Vincent, Reddish and Jaxson Hayes, it may make sense to balance things out with Vanderbilt in the starting lineup and Hachimura’s shooting buoying the second-unit.
Hachimura’s shooting was noteworthy in the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals two seasons ago but so was Vanderbilt’s defense. Los Angeles was plus-3.1 per 100 possessions in 187 postseason minutes with him on the floor with Davis, James and Reaves instead of Hachimura. Now that he’s healthy, trying to replicate that success may be the Lakers’ quickest path back to contention.