Lakerholics

As they head into what could be a franchise-defining season that could be LeBron James last and Luka Doncic’s full first in purple and gold, the big question everybody is asking is who’s really running the Lakers right now?

Why that’s so important is the Lakers currently face critical decisions on their future direction as they seek to win their #18 title this year while also trying to construct a sustainable championship team around Luka Doncic. Under Jeanie Buss, the Lakers have never been considered as one of the better run or professionally managed NBA franchises. Their team decision-making has been fair at best and the success mainly attributed to location.

All that changes with Mark Walter, who’s ownership transformed the Los Angeles Dodgers into the world’s most successful major league baseball team, attracting the best players and winning 2 of the last 5 World Series.
Suddenly the mom-and-pop Lakers who always cut costs to save expenses now have their own aggressive billionaire owner who will spend whatever’s needed to find the best people and MLB players to win championships.

Right now, the Lakers plan to wait until midseason before trading for a defensive starting small forward and quality backup center. Their plan is to be able to offer 3 first round picks to replace LeBron James next draft day.
These are the kinds of decisions that are crucial to the future of the Lakers and should be being made by Mark Walter and his team rather than Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka and their close knit inner circle of long-time advisors.

What the Lakers need is the visionary ownership of Mark Walter who’s willing to go all-in to win championships by building an elite organization with a unified goal and vision for how to build a sustainable dynasty.

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1. MARK WALTER WAS LAKERS INSIDER, NOT OUTSIDER

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The difference between the sale of the Lakers to Mark Walter and the sales of the Celtics to Bill Chisholm’s group and Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families was Mark Walter was already a Lakers’ minority owner.

Back in the summer of 2021, Mark Walter and Todd Boehly, the highly successful owners of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, purchased Phil Anschutz’s 27% minority ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers.
Credit Jeanie Buss for her vision and projecting sports entrepreneur Mark Walter as the perfect successor to the Buss family as the L.A. Lakers’ next great owner. Four years later, Walter bought majority interest in Lakers.

The Celtics and Mavericks were sold to outsiders, who moved quickly to take control of their new franchises, whereas Mark Walter already owned 18% of the Lakers in 2021 before he bought the 51% share from the Busses.
Mark Walter now owns 78% of the Lakers, which is worth close to $8 billion today with the franchise value now pegged at a world record setting $10 billion. The Busses still own 15% and other parties own the remaining 7%.

That Mark Walter was already a Lakers investor not only gave him a big advantage in receiving inside information over the last four years but also a proven level of confidence in Jeanie Buss and her management team.
Unlike the Dallas and Boston new owners, Mark Walter does not need ramp up time to figure out what to do. He already has a plan for the Lakers based on what he did with the Dodgers and what he’s seen the last four year.

Regardless of how long Jeanie Buss and her brothers and other long-time Lakers’ employees remain in the organization, Mark Walter did not spend $5 billion for 51% of the Lakers for somebody else to make the decisions.

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2. WHO’S MAKING THE DECISIONS RIGHT NOW MATTERS

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The problem with Lakers’ ownership and management in the Jeanie Buss era has been the lack of a visionary force with the personal charisma and executive vision to drive the team to a sustainable championship future.

Since Jerry Buss, the Lakers have relied more on their legacy, popularity, luck, and coveted L.A. location than embracing any specific basketball philosophy or strategy other than winning now with the biggest names.
But in just one year, the Lakers somehow someway landed the franchise’s next superstar coach, player, and owner. JJ Redick, Luka Doncic, and Mark Walter could be the Lakers new Pat Riley, Kobe Bryant, and Jerry Buss.

There is no way that Mark Walter is not going to be the main shot caller for the Lakers as they try to win a final ring for LeBron while building a future juggernaut by surrounding Luka Doncic with a championship rotation.
Despite tougher roster building rules in the NBA, Mark Walter is not going to need extensive ramp up time to take over the Lakers. He already knows everybody in the organization and where his wealth and vision can help.

The main mega decisions Mark Walter and the Lakers must make is how to get the elite starting defensive wing and backup center they need without giving up a first round pick so they can offer three picks next draft day.
Here’s where we may see Mark Walter and his team overrule Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka and decide trading Austin Reaves is the smart way for the Lakers to upgrade their roster to championship status while keeping pick.

Who’s making the decisions for the Lakers right now is critically important. Despite stories otherwise, Mark Walter is now in full control of the Los Angeles Lakers and will be the one driving every major franchise decision.

Before the 2025–26 season begins, JJ Redick needs to start Marcus Smart and stagger Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as point guards to restore the balance between offense and defense for the Lakers’ starters and bench.

While Redick is going to give Reaves and Hachimura the opportunity to prove they should still start, he also realizes the Lakers dramatically need better defense from their starters and better offense from their backups. Last season, the Lakers’ starters were the fifth worst defensive lineup in the NBA, ranked 25th out of 30 teams in defense, while their bench was the third worst offensive bench, ranked 28th out of 30 teams in offense.

Starting Smart in place of Reaves, moving Austin to the bench as its lead guard, and staggering him and Luka so one was always on the court would be the simplest way to upgrade the starers’ defense and bench’s offense.
Starting Luka Doncic, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton with Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero, and Jaxson Hayes as backups would be the Lakers’ ideal rotation.

Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton would be huge defensive upgrades as starters over Austin Reaves and Jaxson Hayes, whose moves to reserves should transform the 28th worst bench into an offensive juggernaut.
Hopefully, a lighter, quicker, and faster Luka will also give the Lakers’ starters a boost defensively while the young legs and athleticism of LaRavia and Thiero could help the non-starting lineups be better offensively.

So let’s take a closer look at why the Lakers should move Reaves to the bench rather than Hachimura, how not starting could impact Austin’s Reaves’ future with team, and what happens with Rui with no extension.

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Why Reaves Needs To Move To Bench?

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The Lakers are planning to begin the season with an offense-first Luka Doncic/Austin Reaves’ backcourt in the hope they can duplicate the success the Mavericks had with Doncic/Brunson and Doncic/Irving backcourts.

Now that the Lakers locked up Luka Doncic, their next challenge is to figure out what to do with Austin Reaves, who declined 4-year $89 million deal but will be eligible this summer for 5-year $247 million extension.
Reaves wants to stay with the Lakers and is seeking at least $30 million per year. Pelinka’s decision to start him is probably an effort to find out as quickly as possible whether a Doncic/Reaves backcourt could succeed.

To be honest, a Doncic/Reaves backcourt probably won’t work for the Lakers as well as the Doncic/Brunson and Doncic/Irving backcourts did for the Mavs because L.A. does not have Dallas’ front court talent and depth.
Pelinka would be smarter to use the first half of the season to see if starting Smart alongside Doncic could improve the starting lineup’s defense and having Reaves run the point on the bench could boost the bench’s offense.

Bottom line, a Doncic/Smart backcourt paired with Austin Reaves-led bench has a better chance to become a legitimate championship rotation than a Doncic/Reaves backcourt paired with a Marcus Smart-led bench.
The Lakers need to make a consolidation trade before the trade deadline and must determine whether there is a viable long-term role on Luka Doncic championship team for a $30 million per year Austin Reaves.

Austin Reaves needs to begin the season as lead guard off the bench to improve the offense of the Lakers’ bench and to allow Marcus Smart to start next to Luka Doncic to improve the defense of the starting lineup.

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How Bench Move Impacts Reaves’ Future?

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It won’t be easy selling Austin Reaves that his best role with the Lakers would be coming off the bench and being staggered with Luka Doncic so that one of them was always on court the full 48 minutes of each game.

Here’s where Mark Walter’s billions and Austin Reaves’ love for the Lakers come in with a deal that works for everybody. Austin goes to the bench but gets starter minutes and a 4-year extension starting at $30 million per year.
While Reaves is not worth a max contract, $30 million per year will be less than half of what superstars will be making and Austin is the exact kind of player who’s willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of his team.

Frankly, I would not be completely surprised if Austin Reaves were to volunteer to turbo charge the bench’s weak offense so that Marcus Smart could start next to Luka and transform the staring lineup’s poor defense.
There’s probably no player on the team today who appreciates being a Los Angeles Laker more than Austin Reaves or who would be more eager and willing to make individua sacrifices for the success and good of the team.

At any rate, the Lakers most important goal right now is to find the ‘right’ starters to optimize Luka. By the end of training camp, it will be obvious that Marcus Smart should start and Austin Reaves should lead the bench.
While the Lakers will not be able to announce the extension until next summer when Reaves becomes eligible, there is no way with Walter’s wealth that the Lakers are going to lose another young star over money.

The Lakers and Austin Reaves both need to sacrifice to build a legitimate championship caliber roster. The Lakers have to be willing to pay Reaves what he deserves and Reaves has to be willing to come off the bench.

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What Happens To Rui With No Extension?

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Despite playing well in last year’s playoffs, offense-first Rui Hachimura did not receive an extension offer from the Lakers, who reportedly also were looking to trade for an elite defensive small forward like Andrew Wiggins.

So while Rui will retain his starting small forward position to begin the season, he will be under extreme pressure to perform well, especially on defense, or suddenly find himself on another team come the deadline.
Hachimura’s problem is he is not quick or fast enough to stay with the dynamic athletic wing scorers a small forward has to defend in the West. He should be playing power forward, but that’s LeBron James’ position.

A Lakers fan favorite, Rui Hachimura is primarily a one-way offense-first player who needs to be replaced by a two-way defense-first starting small forward via a consolidation trade before the February 5th deadline.
Realistically, there’s no way the Lakers are going to give Hachimura an extension since he already earns $18 million per year. The Lakers cannot afford to let Rui walk for nothing as a free agent so they will trade him.

With an $18 million expiring contract, Rui should be highly coveted by teams looking to elevate their roster with an elite 3-point shooter who has excellent size and athleticism and is just entering the prime of his career.
Ideally, the Lakers will reopen discussions with the Heat once we get into December and January about trading Hachimura, Vincent, and Knecht for Wiggins, who should be the Lakers’ #1 starting small forward target.

Bottom line, the end of Rui Hachimura’s stint with the Lakers is rapidly approaching. Hopefully, Rui will enjoy a strong start to the season and be the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade with the Heat for Andrew Wiggins.

While the Los Angeles Lakers have no intention of trading Austin Reaves at this time, we should remember the Lakers said the exact same thing about Anthony Davis before he was suddenly traded for superstar Luka Doncic.

It’s obvious the Lakers want to see how the new and returning players fit before they make any major trade deadline decisions, which is why they are essentially starting the same players as last season except for center. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton will begin the season as starters with Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, and Jaxson Hayes as primary backups.

With Luka Doncic now locked up with a new extension, the Lakers must shift their attention to Austin Reaves, who declined a 4-year $89 million offer and will be eligible for a 5-year $247 million extension next summer.
After last season’s disappointing playoff performance, Reaves will be under intense pressure to show that he’s the right defensive fit next to Luka and that he and Doncic can develop into a championship caliber backcourt.

So what would the Lakers’ Austin Reaves really worth in a blockbuster trade? Last regular season, Reaves was one of just twelve NBA players that averaged as much as 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
That Reaves accomplished this as literally the third offensive option on the Lakers behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James is even more remarkable. The big question for the Lakers is whom could they turn Austin into?

With the Lakers committed to being able to offer three first round draft picks on draft day next summer, it’s time for Rob Pelinka to find out exactly what Austin Reaves would be worth in a blockbuster offseason trade.

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1. THUNDER’S LUGUENTZ DORT!

LUGUENTZ DORT, SG, 6′ 4″, 220 lbs, 26-yrs old, 2-yr $36M contract
10.1/4.1/1.6/0.5/1.1 on 29.2 mpg, shooting 43.5/41.2/71.7%

Could the Los Angeles Lakers turn rising star Austin Reaves and young shooting prospect Dalton Knecht into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 26-year old All-Defensive First Team point-of-attack guard Luguentz Dort?

There may not be a more perfect shooting guard fit next to Luka Doncic than Luguentz Dort, who’s alpha defensive physicality and elite shooting skills are exactly what the Lakers need to complement their superstar.
Trading Reaves and Knecht for Dort would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup and pair Luka Doncic with an elite physical point-of-attack guard to give the Lakers a legitimate championship caliber quality backcourt.

For the Thunder, Austin Reaves would give them a second elite All-Star quality scorer/playmaker to complement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Austin would join Alex Caruso as the OKC Thunder’s purple and gold alumni.
With their incredibly deep roster and treasure chest of draft capital, the Thunder dance to a different drummer than the rest of the league. They have enough defense now and coming to easily replace Luguentz Dort.

Dort is such a great fit next to Doncic that the Lakers should be willing to include some draft capital as part of the package. Fortunately, OKC could still value a Lakers swap because they’re confident they’ll finish higher.

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2. CLIPPERS’ KRIS DUNN & DERRICK JONES JR.

KRIS DUNN, SG, 6′ 3″, 205 lbs, 31-yrs old, 2-yr $11M contract
6.4/3.4/2.8/0.4/1.7 on 24.1 mpg, shooting 43.0/33.5/68.2%

DERRICK JONES JR, SF, 6′ 6″, 210 lbs, 28-yrs old, 2-yrs $20M contract
10.1/3.4/0.8/0.4/1.0 on 24.3 mpg, shooting 52.6/35.6/70.3%

Could the Los Angeles Lakers turn rising star Austin Reaves and young shooting prospect Dalton Knecht into the Los Angeles Clippers’ dynamic defensive duo of guard Kris Dunn and forward Derrick Jones Jr?

Trading two one-way offensive players in Reaves and Knecht for two elite two-way players with proven defensive credentials in Dunn and Jones Jr. would dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ defensive depth and diversity.
Dunn, who was among the top-10 leaders in steals per game last season could be a perfect backcourt mate for Doncic while Jones Jr. could step right in as the Lakers’ starting small forward and elite wing defender.

For the Clippers, stealing future All-Star lead guard Austin Reaves from their crosstown rivals for two good role players is another savvy front office move that could someday become as ‘beloved’ as the Ivica Zubac trade.
The inter-city trade also provides the Clippers with some desperately needed insurance in Austin Reaves for the older James Harden and Chris Paul and a promising young 3-point shooting prospect in Dalton Knecht.

Trading Reaves and Knecht for Dunn and Jones Jr. would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup from offense only to a balanced offense and defense by replacing two offense-first starters with two defense-first starters.

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3. SUNS’ DILLON BROOKS & NICK RICHARDS

DILLON BROOKS, SF, 6′ 6″, 225 lbs, 29-yrs old, 2-yr $40M contract
14.0/3.7/1.7/0.2/0.8 on 31.8 mpg, shooting 42.9/39.7/81.8%

NICK RICHARDS, CE, 7′ 0″, 245 lbs, 27-yrs old, 1-yr $5M contract
9.3/8.2/0.9/1.0/0.2 on 22.0 mpg, shooting 59.1/0.0/74.4%

Could the Los Angeles Lakers turn rising star Austin Reaves and sharp shooting power forward Rui Hachimura into the Phoenix Suns’ pair of elite defensive small forward Dillon Brooks and backup center Nick Richards

Trading Reaves and Hachimura for Brooks and Richards could immediately solve the Lakers glaring needs for an elite starting small forward who can defend wing scorers and a bruising backup center who can protect the rim.
The Lakers would begin the season starting Luka Doncic, Marcus Smart, Dillon Brooks, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton with Gabe Vincent, Bronny James, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero, and Nick Richards as backups.

For the Suns, Austin Reaves immediately gives them an better starting point guard option than forcing Devin Booker to be the lead guard since Tyus Jones’ didn’t work out as a starter. Booker can now play two guard.
Meanwhile, Rui Hachimura can step right into Dillon Brooks starting power forward role and newly acquired Mark Williams and rookie first round pick Khaman Maluach have made Nick Richards expendable

Trading Reaves and Knecht for Brooks and Richards would immediately fill the Lakers two most glaring roster needs: an elite starting small forward to defend scoring wings and a backup center to protect the rim and paint.

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4. PELICANS’ HERB JONES

HERB JONES, SF, 6′ 7″, 206 lbs, 26-yrs old, 2-yr $27M contract
10.3/3.9/3.3/0.5/1.9 on 32.4 mpg, shooting 43.6/30.6/82.5%

Could the Los Angeles Lakers turn rising star Austin Reaves and young shooting prospect Dalton Knecht into the New Orleans Pelicans’ 26-year old former All-Defensive First Team point-of-attack small forward Herb Jones?

Herb Jones could be the ideal premier point-of-attack wing defender the Lakers need as starting small forward. While not the 3-point shooter Luguentz has become, Herb is capable of shooting over 40% from deep.
Trading Reaves and Knecht for Jones would give the Lakers starting lineup another elite 3&D small forward as well as opening up starting shooting guard for Marcus Smart to play alongside Luke Doncic in the backcourt.

For the Pelicans, Austin Reaves would give them a young future All-Star to help mentor and develop young players and a great pick-and-roll partner for Zion Williamson, whose salary the Pelicans are going to guarantee.
Dalton Knecht could be an important piece for the Pelicans to develop. Right now, New Orleans needs stability and having a rising star like Austin Reaves who plays hard every night could be exactly what Pelicans need.

Like with Luguentz Dort, Herb Jones might cost the Lakers more than just Reaves and Knecht. While he had a disappointing last year, Jones is such a great fit for the Lakers they likely would have to include some draft capital.

Having decided to wait until midseason before making additional roster moves, what is the Lakers’ current roster’s ceiling and floor assuming they upgrade their starting small forward and backup center by the deadline?

By definition, a team’s ceiling happens when everything that could go right actually goes right. In the NBA, that means key players not only were fully healthy through the playoffs but many also enjoyed career best seasons.
By definition, a team’s floor happens when everything that could go wrong actually goes wrong. In the NBA, that means critical players were not only injured during the season but many also endured career worst seasons.

What makes projecting a ceiling and floor for next season’s Lakers squad so difficult is the team has made a decision to wait until midseason to address their glaring needs for a starting small forward and quality backup center.
Waiting until the trade deadline puts additional ‘pressure on the Lakers to trade for the ‘right players.’ If the Lakers traded during the offseason, they would still have a chance to correct any mistakes before the trade deadline.

Further complicating the situation, Jokic or Giannis could be available next summer if they do not sign extensions and the Lakers right now don’t even have matching salaries to legally trade for a superstar making $60 million.
That means the Lakers must convert most of their $40 million in expiring contracts to players with 2-year deals before the deadline so they can match salaries and trade for Jokic or Giannis if they’re available in summer 2026.

To reach their ceiling for the season and win the NBA Championship, the Lakers need to trade for two elite defenders like Andrew Wiggins and Robert Williams the sooner the better even if it costs a first round pick.

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LAKERS’ CURRENT CEILING IS ‘NBA CHAMPIONSHIP’

If the Lakers trade for a legitimate elite POA starting small forward and a quality rim protecting defensive backup center before the trade deadline, their ceiling for 2025–26 season would be the 2026 NBA Championship.

The Lakers desperately need an elite starting small forward like Andrew Wiggins, Dillon Brooks, or Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a quality backup center like Robert Williams III, Mitchell Robinson, or Jonathan Isaac.
While the Lakers would like to trade for Wiggins and Williams without giving up picks, they can still offer a first round pick swap for the former and second round pick for the later and still have 3 picks next summer.

Adding a pair of elite defensive players like Andrew Wiggins and Robert Williams would elevate the Lakers to legitimate championship contenders and make them among the favorites to win their 18th NBA championship.
Surrounding offense-first Big Three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves with elite defenders like Marcus Smart, De’Andre Ayton, Andrew Wiggins, and Robert Williams dramatically upgrades the Lakers’ defense.

The Lakers would still need the help of the basketball gods to keep superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James and key role players like Marcus Smart, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent fully healthy and injury free.
They would also need career best redemption seasons from returnees Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Jaxson Hayes and new additions Adou Thiero, Jake LaRavia, De’Andre Ayton, and Marcus Smart.

If the Lakers can pull off a blockbuster midseason trade for an elite starting small forward and a quality rim protecting backup center, they can reach their ceiling for the 2025–26 season by winning the NBA Championship.

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LAKERS’ CURRENT FLOOR IS ‘PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT’

If the Lakers fail to trade for a legitimate elite point-of-attack starting small forward and quality rim protecting defensive backup center before the deadline, their floor for the season would then be the Play-In Tournament.

To become a legitimate championship contender, the Lakers need a massive injection of positional size and length and defensive skill and physicality at the starting small forward and backup center positions.
Moving forward with Rui Hachimura as the defensive starting small forward and Jaxson Hayes as the defensive backup center just does not make sense. Lakers must upgrade both positions to avoid the Play-In.

Nor is it guaranteed that De’Andre Ayton will be a better defender than Jaxson Hayes was as last year’s starter. Other than defensive rebounding, Hayes’ blocks and steals per minute played were better than Ayton’s.
If the only change the Lakers are planning for their starting lineup is replacing Jaxson Hayes with De’Andre Ayton, they may find the offense improved but the starting lineup defense may still be 28th in the league.

The Lakers are obviously trying to avoid giving up their one tradable first round pick to upgrade their current roster so they can offer three first round picks on draft day next summer in a mega trade for a superstar.
The problem is there are at least 8 teams in the West who can dominate the current Lakers’ roster with their size and physicality: the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Blazers, Clippers, and Warriors.

If they fail to pull off a blockbuster trade for an elite starting small forward and quality backup center to dramatically upgrade their front court defense, the Lakers’ floor for the season will be the Play-In Tournament.

After reportedly deciding to wait until midseason to see how the team does before trading for a elite defensive starting small forward, the big question facing JJ Redick and the Lakers now is who’s going to be their fifth starter?

With Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and De’Andre Ayton projected to start, the competition for the fifth starter seems to be between three players: Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Smart is probably the best two-way player but smallest among the three, Hachimura the best offensive player with excellent positional size, and Vanderbilt the best defensive player also with excellent positional size.

Last season, the Lakers were a solid 11th in offensive rating, a mediocre 17th in defensive rating, and middle-of-the-pack 14th in net rating. They were almost a top-10 team on offense but poor defense pulled them down.
The storyline of strong offense held back by mediocre defense gets worse when looking at the Lakers’ starters, who were 7th in offense, 25th in defense, and 12th in net rating. Better offense but even poorer defense.

Veteran center De’Andre Ayton starting in place of youngster Jaxson Hayes will hopefully give the Lakers a dramatic boost in their ability to protect the rim and switch on the perimeter as well as better defensive rebounding.
But going into the season without a legitimate 3&D starting small forward or rim protecting backup center puts great pressure on the Lakers’ starting lineup and rotation to overachieve until help arrives at the trade deadline.

The reality is with a shredded and driven Luka Doncic, a healthy legacy seeking LeBron James, and a hungry redemption powered Austin Reaves, the Lakers don’t need any more offense. What they need is DEFENSE!

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Why Marcus Smart?

Marcus Smart, 6′ 3″, 220 lbs, 31 yrs old, 2-yr min contract w/player option
9.0/2.1/3.2/0.3/1.1 in 20.0 mpg shooting 39.3/34.8/76.1%

While he may no longer be the DPOY he was with the Celtics, Marcus Smart is the only one of the three candidates to be the Lakers’ fifth starter who has a proven history of being an elite all-league perimeter defender.

If Smart comes into camp healthy and in condition to play 30 minutes per game rather than the injury-riddled 20 minutes per game he played with the Grizzlies and Wizards last season, he should be the Lakers’ fifth starter.
More than anything, it’s the championship defensive intangibles Marcus would bring to the starting lineup that make him the obvious best option as the team’s fifth starter. His is the best defense, heart, and BBIQ of the three.

When the Lakers have played great defense, it’s been because of LeBron James’ ability to communicate and choreograph the team defensively. Smart will finally give James the defensive partner that Davis used to be.
De’Andre Ayton’s improved rim protection and help and Luka Doncic’s improved motivation and conditioning along with Marcus Smart’s BBIQ and charismatic leadership should transform the Lakers’ starting defense.

While Smart is the Lakers best option as a fifth starter, there are concerns because at 6′ 3,” he makes the Lakers smaller when the league is trending bigger and our weakness is our lack of a quality backup defensive center. Other concerns include Rui’s willingness and effectiveness to come off the bench and the reality that both he and Vando are very likely to be traded. Marcus could be the only one of the three left after the trade deadline.

While it will force them to play smaller, starting defense-first Marcus Smart as the team’s fifth starter is the surest way to transform the Lakers’ starting lineup from an offense-first squad to one that can both score and defend.

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Why NOT Rui Hachimura?

Rui Hachimura, 6′ 8″, 230 lbs, 27yrs old, 1-yr $18M expiring contract
13.1/5.0/1.4/0.4/0.8 in 31.7 mpg shooting 50.9/41.3/77.0%

Let’s start by noting Rui Hachimura had a better individual defensive rating last regular season than teammates Luka Doncic, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Dalton Knecht.

So the reason Rui Hachimura is going to be replaced as the Lakers’ fifth starter is not because he was the worst defender of the starters. It’s because the team needs a defensive infusion and he’s the logical one to be replaced. The Lakers are not going to ask one of their Big Three of Doncic, James, and Reaves to come off the bench and we already know Hachimura is not going to start at center instead of Ayton. Hence, Rui goes to the bench.

How Rui handles the move from starter to the bench will have a huge impact on the Lakers. The other major reason for moving Rui to the bench is the Lakers’ reserves finished 28 out of 30 in offensive rating last season.
If Rui can play starter minutes off the bench and average 18 points per game, it could transform the Lakers ability to score points when starters rest. Bench scoring was one of the Lakers’ greatest weakness last season.

The other benefit of Hachimura coming off the bench is being able to matchup against other power forwards. As a starter, Rui has always had to defend small forwards so that LeBron could defend slower power forwards.
Coming off the bench, Rui can now backup LeBron at power forward, both allowing LeBron to reduce his minutes to stay healthy and fresh for the playoffs and giving the reserves greater positional size and scoring.

While Rui is not the best fit to start, he should have a great opportunity to help the Lakers get off to a hot start in the west by coming off the bench as LeBron James’ backup at power forward and possible 6MOY candidate.

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Why NOT Jarred Vanderbilt?

Jarred Vanderbilt, 6′ 8″, 214 lbs, 26yrs old, 3-yr $37M contract
4.1/5.1/1.1/0.3/1.0 in 16.1 mpg shooting 48.8/28.1/55.6%

While the Lakers once hoped Jarred Vanderbilt would develop a good enough offensive game to prevent being played off the court, injuries and lack of swagger and confidence have severely hindered that progress

NBA players can legitimately play any position that they can defend. At 6′ 8″ with a 7′ 1″ wingspan, Vanderbilt is not only capable of defending guards
but would also have a distinct positional size advantage at shooting guard.
There is no better NBA starting foursome than Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and De’Andre Ayton that could optimize Jarred Vanderbilt’s defensive strengths while easily minimizing his offensive weaknesses.

Recent reports indicate the Lakers have lost patience with Vanderbilt and are not expecting him to be part of the team’s regular rotation. He’ll have to perform at a very high level in camp to be considered for a rotation role.
While downplaying expectations, the Lakers desperately need defense in the starting lineup and coming off the bench. Frankly, it’s irresponsible for them not to find a viable role for Vanderbilt, the team’s best defender.

Basically, Vanderbilt is one of five players along with Vincent, Hachimura, Kleber, and Knecht, whom the Lakers are probably going to move on from this season in a major consolidation trade right before the trade deadline.
Needless to say, the Lakers would be thrilled if Vanderbilt had a great camp and showed he could be a viable option as a 5th starter. The Lakers would like nothing more than giving Vanderbilt a starting audition for the NBA.

In the end, Jarred Vanderbilt’s time with the Lakers is coming to a close. Despite a desperate need for defense, the Lakers are preparing to move on from Jarred Vanderbilt and should not consider him as their fifth starter.