The clearest sign of the Lakers’ depth this season is that, despite Luka Dončić playing in only half the games and LeBron James not yet suiting up, the Lakers are 6-2 and on a four-game winning streak.
Despite players moving in and out of the lineup, the Lakers have hardly missed a beat. Equally as impressive, when players are returning, they are integrating seamlessly and the team is still finding success.
It’s been a great start to the season in that regard. But how much has the trust in those role players who have stepped up improved?
We have a full starting lineup this time. In the Grizzlies’ game on Friday, the Lakers showed us their full-strength starting lineup.
Starters: Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton
No one has shined brighter in the last week among the role players than LaRavia. He had some huge games against the Wolves and Heat and it’s hard to imagine anyone not in the starting lineup is more reliable than LaRavia right now.
It’s been a nice little bounceback week for Knecht. He found his groove a bit against the Blazers and then turned a corner heading into the weekend. He isn’t all the way back to his best of last year — and he may never get to that level again — but he’s certainly more reliable than he was to start the season.
While it’s been very nice to see Vando back healthy, he has also been pretty inconsistent. He’s a bit more reliable as a finisher around the rim, but he’s just given up on 3-pointers. Over the last four games, he has only taken two.
He can still be a disruptor defensively and there is value in that. But it doesn’t seem like his offense isn’t any closer.
Hayes also had a big game this week, stepping up in Deandre Ayton’s absence. Largely speaking, he’s been a consistent backup for the team who can also start in spots. The question will be whether some of his small improvements like his passing or his rebounding will make him playable in the postseason.
Last week, I included him mainly so we could discuss how far off the mark he’s been this season. One week later, he’s an earnest inclusion.
There probably shouldn’t be too much overreaction to his strong week of play, but it is also fair to give him praise for starting to have some decent performances.