With the move of Lebron James to the Los Angeles Lakers, LaLaLand is again the center of the basketball universe. The acquisitions they had in both the draft and free agency give them a lot of flexibility in terms of the lineups they will be able to put in the floor. They envision themselves as a team that will play “positionless basketball. In an interview with Lakers.com, James talked briefly about this:
“We want to be a positionless team,” LeBron James said at Saturday’s practice. “There’s gonna be times when we’re all playing different positions. I think that’s going to be the benefit of our ball club.”
With this, we have made a list of five Laker lineups to keep an eye on this season.
The Lakers' version of the ‘Death Lineup': Lonzo Ball-Kentavious Caldwell-Pope-Kyle Kuzma-Brandon Ingram-Lebron James
What makes this interesting is that you have Lebron James essentially playing the center position. It will surely give the Lakers the oppurunity to play fast as they can immediately push the ball once they get the rebounds. There is a lot defensive potential for this lineup as well because they are all like-sized guys who can play a switching defense similar to what the Golden State Warriors do. Spacing will also not be a problem as all of them are reliable threats from the perimeter which will give James' the space to operate inside.
Lakers' defensive unit: Rajon Rondo-Lonzo Ball-Lebron James-Brandon Ingram-Javale McGee
This lineup has a lot of length and athleticism at all positions. Rondo has always been a defensive stalwart and always ready to shut down the premiers guards in the league. Ball, with his physical tools, has all the making of a great defensive guard.
The frontcourt feature a lot of length which will surely help in protecting the rim. Expect this lineup to force a lot of turnovers for the opposing team and when that happens they will have no problem in converting these points on the other end as they have three legitimate playmakers in James, Rondo and Ball.
The Meme Team: Rajon Rondo-Lance Stephenson-Lebron James-Michael Beasley-Javale McGee
I don't know if coach Luke Walton will ever put this lineup on the floor at any point of the season but if he does, he will surely have everyone watching. Even if it's a group more known for their antics, they are all very capable players and have proven they can perform big if needed. It will be interesting to the dynamic between all five players and the highlights – and probably lowlights – they will produce.
Lebron plus 4 shooters: LeBron, Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Kuzma, Mo Wagner, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
It has been a proven formula to have four guys play alongside James. He has been playing with lineups like this in his prior stops in Cleveland and Miami. It will benefit not only James but also the shooters as they will thrive off of the open looks that James will generate. If this lineup can hold up defensively, this will be hard to stop.
Youth Movement: Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Mo Wagner
This is the only lineup in this list that does not Lebron James but don't think even for a second that they are not capable. This particular lineup will give teams problems on both ends of the floor. Josh Hart and Mo Wagner played really well in Summer League and are hoping to build on it this season. The improvement of Kuzma and Ingram will also be a big factor in this success of this lineup. Ball will be there to push the Ball and produce some exciting plays.
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