The Los Angeles Lakers ranked 29th in the NBA during the 2024-25 regular season when it came to points per game from their bench. They got brutalized by the Minnesota Timberwolves while failing to field a competent rotation beyond their top guys. The first game of the season did not offer much hope for change.
What made it worse was they got a front row seat to exactly the type of presence they need off the bench. Buddy Hield lit up the Lakers for 17 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point, in the Golden State Warriors' decisive 119-109 win on opening night.
Hield really heated up as the game went along. The second half scoring from the Warriors sharpshooter made it difficult for the Lakers to keep pace after only trailing by one point at the half.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, only got 18 points from their bench overall. Marcus Smart led the way with 9 points, offering a notable disparity by comparison to the victors. JJ Redick will need to put his thinking cap on to figure out how to jumpstart the depth of his roster.
Lakers’ depth issues and shooting struggles made painfully clear
Not only did Hield provide bench scoring, he provided shooting. That is another element the Lakers continued to lack.
The frustrating thing about an opening night like this for the Lakers is that it we have the same conversations every October.
Oh, the supporting shooting is shaky? They can't find a non-Anthony Davis center they can trust? Clearly a perimeter defender short? Is it 2025 or 2022?
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) October 22, 2025
It is no secret that a team with Luka Doncic and LeBron James should be stocked with shooting. The Lakers just don't quite have it to the capacity they need to.
What makes it worse would be that James was actually the best catch-and-shoot player from distance for Los Angeles in 2024-25, shooting 42.0 percent from beyond the arc on those attempts. The Lakers would love for that not to be the case this season.
LeBron was not even available for this one due to his sciatica injury, and that may continue to be the case for a while. While James remains absent, the Lakers depth will only look thinner, missing such a pivotal part of their rotation.
Once the aging superstar finally returns, Redick will have options to consider regarding how to get the second unit going. The immediate answer that would pop up for most would be to shift Rui Hachimura to the bench.
Hachimura may prefer a role with the starting lineup. However, providing some much-needed consistency for the second unit could actually go a lot further for this roster.
Redick admitted he will continue tinkering with the starters. The Lakers may need it after their season opener.