The Los Angeles Lakers were involved in some post-trade deadline drama after their blockbuster acquisition of Mark Williams fell through. The Lakers had sent out Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and two first-round picks to acquire the 23-year-old Williams but rescinded the deal after Williams failed a physical, which led to the awkward return of Knecht and Reddish to the franchise.
Knecht is a 23-year-old rookie who is averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds on 35.4% from three this season. He’s a shooting specialist but has given the Lakers solid minutes as a rookie. While he doesn’t offer the Lakers what Williams would’ve brought as the team’s starting center, Knecht has a crucial role on the team’s bench.Â
Let’s take a look at the Lakers’ new depth chart to figure out how the team will line up.
Depth Chart
PG: Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent, Bronny James
SG: Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, Shake Milton
SF: Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Reddish
PF: LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Markieff Morris
C: Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, Maxi Kleber
Starting Lineup
Starters: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Jaxson Hayes
The Lakers will likely line up with this starting five in Luka Doncic’s debut tonight against the Utah Jazz. Doncic will slot into the starting five, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists this season. These are somehow bad numbers for him, marking a significant letdown in production and efficiency due to an injury-ridden season so far. These injuries and his poor conditioning are what caused the Mavs to give up on him, so hopefully the Lakers get a more motivated version of Luka on the court.
Austin Reaves will move into the off-guard role, likely playing a similar role to Kyrie Irving on the Mavericks. He’ll be a less-proficient scorer as he’s the third-option behind LeBron James as well, but he could be a great partner in a two-man game with Doncic, especially because Reaves is 6’5″ as well. Rui Hachimura has locked the starting spot down right now due to his offensive versatility, but he could lose his spot to Dorian Finney-Smith, who’d fit alongside Doncic better.
LeBron will mark the beginning of his full-time power forward era, especially with a ball-handler like Doncic to play off. Expect a rebounding jump from LeBron and potentially increased defensive activity as he’ll likely pass the offensive baton to Doncic after he joins the team.
Jaxson Hayes is the center the Lakers will be stuck with. However, Hayes could be a useful complement to Doncic as a lob threat. While we won’t see the same polish in the Hayes-Doncic duo as we saw with Luka and Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II, this is the best way the Lakers could have maximized Hayes’ production.
Reserves
Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Shake Milton, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, Christian Wood, Bronny James, Trey Jemison (Two-Way), Christian Koloko (Two-Way), Armel Traore (Two-Way)
The Lakers bench lacked one key asset after they acquired Mark Williams – shooting. Knecht’s return to the roster addresses this. While the Lakers can’t expect Knecht to magically become a 40% shooter, the presence of Doncic should elevate his shooting game by generating more open shots. With the added motivation he has after being traded as a rookie, he’ll be eager to secure his spot by becoming indispensable.Â
The Lakers will complement Doncic’s poor defensive output with Gabe Vincent off the bench as his backup. While Doncic can be a solid defender when required, he likely won’t put in the effort on that end through the regular season after coming back from lower leg injuries and likely carrying a heavy offensive burden.Â
The Lakers have a lot of plus-defenders off the bench alongside Vincent. Jarred Vanderbilt is essentially a one-way player as a defensive standout with poor offense. Additionally, Finney-Smith is a proper 3-and-D forward who might become a full-time starter if benching Hachimura is a better option for offense off the bench. Cam Reddish is also considered a one-way defensive player on the wing.
Christian Wood is a former Doncic teammate and averaged 16.6 points when they were on the court together. Unfortunately, Wood won’t have that role after missing the entire season with an injury. If he does return in time, he would be a nice offensive option coach JJ Redick can use as the only stretch-five on the roster.
Maxi Kleber is expected to be out until the end of the regular season and likely won’t play this year. Markieff Morris won’t play either but that’s because he isn’t playable anymore. Similarly, Bronny James isn’t playable either right now, but will now get to learn under Doncic as well as LeBron from the bench.
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