After wondering if the Lakers had fixed some of their issues with bench production coming into the season, the team’s depth immediately underwent a stress test in the opening week.
Injuries have quickly mounted in the opening week of the season, revealing quite a bit about many role players early in the season. Some have stepped up and proven to be reliable while others have left much to be desired.
But, relative to the overall sample size of the season, we have seen just about every role player in
extended minutes, which means we have a lot to break down.
Considering all the injuries and lineup changes, the format is going to be a little different this week. We’ll be excluding Gabe Vincent, since he’s set to miss multiple weeks with an injury, as well as Jaxson Hayes, who has only played one game.
Meanwhile, it seems that Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura are staples in the starting lineup right now.
So, let’s take a look at the remaining healthy players who have been in the rotation this week and see where things stand with them.
Jake LaRavia
One of the only rotation players to have featured in every game so far, LaRavia has felt a bit underwhelming so far. An early read on his game is that he feels like a player whose game doesn’t scale up if given more opportunities.
If he’s playing alongside a number of All-Stars, then his game will look good. If he’s expected to fill in when they’re absent and the expectations rise, he might not look as good.
Jarred Vanderbilt
While LaRavia might have underwhelmed, Vando has likely exceeded early expectations. After a healthy offseason, he’s looked like his old self to start this season. He’s back to his old self defensively, which means creating havoc and forcing turnovers.
Offensively, it feels like there’s been an improvement in his finishing around the basket, even if his 3-point shot feels further away than ever.
Dalton Knecht
A lackluster Summer League and preseason has given way to a lackluster start to the season. The confident Knecht that existed this time last year feels so, so far away.
If you’re looking for a glimmer of hope, he did start to show flashes of himself in the second half against the Blazers. If that unearths the old Knecht, it would be big for the Lakers amid their injury crisis.
Marcus Smart
It’s been a full-speed ride through the Marcus Smart experience from the jump this season. And far more often than not, it’s been a pleasant experience. If I were being cynical, I’d worry about the come down from this, but I’ll assume this is just going to continue to good instead.
There’s a really strong argument for him to be in the starting lineup full-time once he’s healthy again.
Bronny James
Bronny is going to sneak into this one after playing a pair of games, including 20 minutes against the Blazers. It mainly serves as an opportunity to discuss how far away Bronny is from contributing.
While taking into account that the Blazers’ defense will be one of the tougher ones he’ll come up against this season, Bronny looked very, very far out of his element. While he’s made strides since last season, he still is a long way away from being a rotation player.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on BlueSky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
