Lakers News: Latest Buzz Surrounding Los Angeles for 2020 Opening Week

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Matt York/Associated Press

As the Los Angeles Lakers begin their title defense on opening night, their rotation remains undetermined. Following a shortened offseason, the team has brought in new faces to replace three of last year’s starters and two of their most-played substitutes. 

Danny Green, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley are all gone. Instead, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Matthews have all arrived. Going into the first week of a condensed regular season, the biggest questions surround depth and the starting lineup.

LeBron James turns 36 on December 30 and Los Angeles will hope to find enough production elsewhere for the King to comfortably rest some games. With starters not being announced until shortly before tip-off, the Lakers intend to remain flexible in their rotations and load management plans.

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The most recent Lakers news comes with Kyle Kuzma’s contract extension, set at $40 million over three years. This is a vote of confidence from a front office whose fans may have lost some zeal for the 25-year-old wing. 

But that money does not ensure a starting spot, as evidenced by recent comments from Frank Vogel. As reported by Mike Trudell, the Lakers head coach has remained noncommittal about Kuzma’s place in the rotation while insisting that he will nevertheless play a “big role.”

Last season was a statistical down year for Kuz, but he is primed to bounce back with the added confidence of contract comfort. At 6’8″ and a scorer’s mentality, it appears possible that he can return to the starting lineup pending development or LeBron load management.

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Matt York/Associated Press

Few expect LeBron to play all 72 games this season, but the extent of his load management remains largely unknown. And, according to James and Vogel, it’s likely to remain that way on a daily basis.

A shortened offseason segues into a condensed regular season and James shares staff concerns over playoff health. As indicated to the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike, LeBron recognizes that this is “the shortest season for any professional sport ever” and expects the team to be “very conscientious” of his workload.

That was echoed by Vogel, who downplayed expectations and instead dubbed the LeBron load management plan as “definitely fluid.” 

With just five back-to-back games scheduled over the first half of the year, LeBron could play more than some expect. But, with longer road trips, he may lose access to regular maintenance facilities. 

Vogel explains that the team will be reassessing LeBron’s availability “on a day-to-day basis.” If the new Los Angeles playmakers step up, then rest for James (and possibly Anthony Davis) may be easier to come by.

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Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

In total, McGee and Howard averaged about 35.5 minutes per game while rotating at center in 2019-20. They gave the team quality rim-running ability, a defensive paint presence and the comfort to let Davis run the 4. 

But both have found new homes and the Lakers have brought in two contrasting replacements: the slower, more versatile Gasol and smaller Harrell. While the latter is expected to bring energy and fight off the bench, the former is being posited as a secondary playmaker in the starting lineup.

Comparing Gasol’s role to Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jokic’s, Vogel told media that the 35-year-old brings intelligence, versatility and the capacity to bring the ball up and run the offense. Similarly, Markieff Morris contrasted Gasol’s skills to the “athleticism” of McGee and Howard, suggesting that the new center will be much more pivotal to spacing and ball movement.

Gasol isn’t as explosive as he once was and could see his minutes drop this year, but Los Angeles, devoid of Rondo’s game management, appears excited about the Spaniard’s potential as another veteran to quarterback the offense and defense.