After a long offseason filled with trade rumors and roster turnover, the Los Angeles Lakers are finally ready to take the court for what they hope will be a season of redemption.
Last year, they missed the play-in tournament due to key injuries and bad roster construction despite being picked by many to reach the NBA Finals or even win the world championship.
They had a very old roster last year. This year, they’re much younger and much deeper.
But as always, the Lakers will be led by their familiar superstar duo.
6 - LeBron James
James is entering his 20th season, and apparently, he is showing no signs of slowing down.
This is expected to be a banner year for him, as he could pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading regular season scorer, as well as Magic Johnson on the all-time assists list.
3 - Anthony Davis
When Davis is healthy, he is widely considered one of the 5 or 10 best players in the game. But the million dollar question is whether he will remain relatively healthy and be available for at least 65-70 games this season.
0 - Russell Westbrook
Westbrook was made the scapegoat for all that went wrong with the Lakers last season. By all accounts, he is onboard with what new head coach Darvin Ham wants him to do, but old habits are hard to break.
21 - Patrick Beverley
Beverley is expected to supply the Lakers with intense perimeter defense, accurate 3-point shooting, leadership and feistiness — qualities they lacked last season.
7 - Troy Brown Jr.
Brown is a 23-year-old, 6-foot-6 small forward who has shown potential of being a decent 3-point shooter and perimeter defender.
31 - Thomas Bryant
Last season, the Lakers’ center rotation was frightfully weak. Bryant’s ability to protect the rim, rebound, score inside and even hit 3-pointers could greatly fortify it.
10 - Max Christie
A second-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, this rookie has shown nice effort defensively and on the boards. The key to his NBA future will be how much he develops a reliable perimeter jumper.
35 - Wenyen Gabriel
A young, energetic and hard-working 6-foot-9 forward, Gabriel projects to be the Lakers’ main backup at the 4 spot.
30 - Damian Jones
Along with Bryant, Jones makes up what looks like a much-improved center rotation for L.A. The 6-foot-11 27-year-old can block shots, throw down lob passes and run the floor well.
12 - Kendrick Nunn
Nunn didn’t play last season because of a bone bruise in his knee. His ability to score efficiently from all three levels, as well as handle the ball and break down defenses in transition, will give the Lakers a huge boost.
15 - Austin Reaves
During the preseason, Reaves, who was an undrafted rookie last year, showed greater poise as a facilitator and even an occasional scoring threat. The big keys for him will be how reliable a perimeter shooter he is, as well as how much his defense has improved.
37 - Matt Ryan
Ryan was a member of the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad a few months ago, but the Lakers picked him up prior to training camp. He made the roster thanks to his ability to hit 3-pointers, a quality the team badly needs.
17 - Dennis Schroder
Schroder is back with the Lakers after playing for them during the 2020-21 campaign. He will give them another ball-handling guard who can distribute and get his teammates easy shots, as well as score when needed.
95 - Juan Toscano-Anderson
Toscano-Anderson comes to the Lakers after spending last season with the world-champion Golden State Warriors. His ability to hit 3-pointers, defend and move the ball could spark L.A.’s bench.
4 - Lonnie Walker IV
Walker is a 6-foot-4 guard who is explosive and has shown some ability to attack the rim and hit from the outside. Offensive efficiency and defensive consistency will be the keys for him.
14 - Scotty Pippen Jr.
The son of the Hall of Famer who won six rings with Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, Pippen has shown improved poise, playmaking ability and ball security the more he has taken the court ever since the start of summer league play.
20 - Cole Swider
If he shows the type of consistent shooting stroke he displayed during summer league play, Swider can carve out a spot in Ham’s rotation this season.
