Coming off an offseason in which the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make any roster moves, many pundits are concerned about their lack of depth.
The only changes the Lakers made this offseason were drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James to replace Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie, who were two rotation players that departed in free agency. While Knecht may be NBA-ready from the jump, James will likely need a year or two in the G League to develop his game.
Additionally, the injury bug has already hit the Lakers before training camp has even started as Christian Wood will miss the start of the year after undergoing knee surgery and Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for the start of camp due to a lingering foot issue.
Combine all of that with the Lakers also rostering second-year players that may not be ready to contribute like Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, and it’s understandable why people would be concerned about L.A.’s depth.
One person who isn’t though is Lakers head coach JJ Redick. In an appearance on the Lowe Post podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Redick explained that he is concerned about the Lakers’ ability to stay healthy but not necessarily their lack of depth:
“I would say depth is not a concern. I would say just overall health and availability is more the concern than anything. We’ve had a number of guys that had injuries last year. We are going to have to manage in some capacity LeBron and AD. I don’t mean that in terms of health, I mean that in terms of availability. That’s just the reality. I actually think based on everything I’ve seen since Summer League, we’re gonna have to make some tough decisions in the rotation because there’s a number of guys, younger players, that have really improved over the last two-and-a-half months that when we’ve had our small group workouts and our sort of player development games, that have really played well and have really grown and sort of embraced how we want to play. And they’re gonna have a chance to earn a spot in the rotation. Even just with like Dalton [Knecht], to me, I told him this the other day, he is in the 1% of shooters. He’s in the 1%. He has a skill that is just hard to find. He’s gonna have a chance to earn a spot in the rotation. Jalen Hood-Schifino has had a great summer, Max Christie has had a great summer. We obviously want the guys that were hurt last year to be able to play a full season, so I think it’s more availability than it is just overall depth.”
Last season was a tough one for the Lakers in terms of injuries, and they will be hoping to avoid that this year.
If the Lakers can stay healthy then they may have enough depth, but if let’s say LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis get hurt for an extended period of time then Redick’s team could be in trouble.
JJ Redick reveals Lakers’ starting lineup
Unlike Darvin Ham, JJ Redick will not keep the Lakers’ starting lineups a secret as he already revealed he will begin the year with the same group that finished last year: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis.
To leaves a likely bench unit of Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes until Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood are able to return.
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