Several major problems are facing the Lakers in the new season: How to match the starting lineup? Can Ayton perform at the right level?

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From paper, the Lakers have improved since they were eliminated by the Timberwolves in the first round last season. The addition of center DeAndre Ayton should bring much-needed height to the team, and he is expected to start with Luca Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reeves.

Head coach JJ Redick was more open to the announcement of the starting lineup before his first season in coaching the Lakers. But considering the difficulties of the regular season journey, he has now downplayed the need to show his trump card.

Playing 82 games in the NBA is more about how to avoid injuries than ideal basketball strategies. Still, as the regular season approaches, Redick and the Lakers still have several questions to answer.

Player health

The biggest challenge facing all teams is to allow players to stay on the court. Unfortunately, basketball and injuries are always inevitably linked.

When entering training camp, the Lakers were in relatively good condition. And keeping this way will be the challenge.

The most obvious priority is James, who may not play in the team's first few preseason games due to gluteal neurological problems. At this early stage, this doesn't seem to be a serious problem, but considering that James will turn 41 in December, it will be crucial to manage his load properly.

New aid Marcus Smart has been low attendance for most of his career, especially in recent years, and is currently suffering from Achilles tendonitis. Smart's attendance this year will have a significant impact on the team's rotation.

Currently, rookie forward Adu Tiero (36th pick, obtained through upward trade) is facing a swelling problem in his knee. He missed the entire summer league and seemed to be a long time away from playing. The team was very excited when he got him in June, but he couldn't seem to contribute immediately until he was able to practice.

Finally, Maxi Cleber's MRI (quadriceps) has not yet been found, and it is also doubtful whether he can play in the near future [1].

[1]According to the latest news, Kleber will be out for several days due to a minor quadriceps injury.

Who will be the fifth starter?

Suppose Doncic, James, Reeves and Ayton are four of the five starters, then (when all members are healthy) who will Redick choose as the fifth person?

Hachimura Shira is the current candidate because he has both height (6-foot-8, about 2.03 meters) and outside shooting ability (42.9% of three-point shooting percentage last season). As a starter, he was more confident. It can be argued that when Hachimura started, the Lakers were able to maximize his role, which was part of the reason why he was able to rank ahead of Dorian Finney Smith in the rotation last year.

Redick needs to maximize the strength of the entire lineup, not just the personal abilities of a certain player. Given the contribution Hachimura can contribute to the team, he is still a viable option. Although he is not particularly agile in the perimeter defense, he makes good use of his figure and provides additional offense and space.

In addition to Hachimura, Redick has three reasonable choices. Smart will provide defensive upgrades to take on the opponent's main outside scoring threat. Promoting the Lakers’ backcourt defense this season is a priority, and Smart has been selected as the Defensive Player of the Year (2021-22 season). Although Smart performed well in 15 games last season for the Wizards (39.2% of three-point shooting), his career 33.5% three-point shooting percentage is significantly lower than Hachimura Shizuo. Smart's biggest problem is durability, and he averaged 57.7 games per season in his 11 seasons.

Another option is Jack Laravia, who may be the Lakers' most important offseason signing after Ayton. He is a solid forward who is 6-foot-7 (about 2.01 meters), but Redick recently said he may get rotation time at the defender position. Laravia, nearly 24 years old, has proven herself an active, hard-working defender during her time with the Grizzlies (and for a brief time with the Kings). Whether he can do this in playoff-level games remains to be tested, but he can perfect the starting lineup as a player who is both offensive and defensive. To get the opportunity, Laravia must first perform better than Hachimura, and provide a more comprehensive defense while not sacrificing outside projections.

Finally, Jared Vanderbilt ushered in his first healthy summer in recent years after years of severe foot problems. He is a 6-foot-8-inch, well-defensive, fast-moving defender, but has not provided any real offensive threat to the Lakers over the past two seasons. The opponent's defense often ignores him, thus compressing the space for other Lakers scorers.

Unless Vanderbilt's projection ability changes significantly, he may be a viable option only if someone else is injured. Can

Aiton plays the right performance?

All the above assumptions are based on Ayton's ability to guard the inside at both ends of the offense and defense.

At Media Day, the 27-year-old center admitted that at this stage of his career, many people are no longer optimistic about him. He was a key starter when the Suns reached the NBA Finals (2020-21 season), but as the team lost its competitiveness, he was traded to the Trail Blazers. The latter bought out his contract this summer, allowing him to join the Lakers.

Aiton hasn't played an important game in several years, and many people doubt whether he is still capable of doing this.

Nevertheless, Ayton averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his career, and shot 59% from the field. After working with Chris Paul, he is perfect for pairing with Doncic, Reeves and James in the pick-and-roll. He is in a contract year with a player option for the 2026-27 season.

Overall, all the conditions are met, and Ayton is expected to have the best year of his career on a team that is in need of his outstanding performance. Now he must prove that the skeptic is wrong and play the rightful performance.

Of course, there is no answer yet on how Ayton will perform in the Lakers in early October. This will gradually become clear throughout the regular season and will be finally confirmed in April, May, and even June when the Lakers are competitive enough.

Who else can contribute?

Jaxon Hayes performed efficiently as the Lakers' starting center after the team traded Anthony Davis to the Mavericks. But he also seemed powerless in the playoffs.

Currently, he is regarded as Ayton's substitute, creating threats in the aerial offense with his athletic ability and vitality. Kleber, a big man who relies more on football merchandising than athleticism, will be the third center. Other options include Christian Kroko (a two-way contract on his back) and Vanderbilt (as an option for the small ball lineup).

In the backcourt, Vincent and Smart can show great value as defenders, especially if they can hit open shots that catch and shoot. Brownie James may not have a clear rotation position when the team is healthy, but injuries may give him a chance to show his growth as a playmaker and defender.

Two-way contract players Chris Mannon and Nick Smith Jr. may spend most of their time in the South Bay Lakers. Thiero must first get back healthy, but he is seen as a strong, switchable defender who needs to continue growing on the offensive end.

Finally, as a rookie, Dalton Kneckett showed his top shooting ability on the outside, but he lacked stability and was not ideal with Doncic and Reeves on the defensive end. His best chance to get into the rotation is still to be a top space shooter, but he needs to be better than Laravia (or rely on injuries to get the chance). What will be the best prospects for the Lakers?

The Lakers should not be regarded as the best team in the West, but they are the top five teams in the West and may even be ranked higher if Ayton and Laravia can play great. The Lakers' lineup is built quite reasonably in many ways, but defense is the biggest problem.

James admits he is close to the end of his career, spending extra time practicing catch-and-shooting this offseason, and expects to spend more time playing off-ball than at any time in his career.

Even with Hayes as center last year, the Lakers showed they could play top-notch. It didn't fall apart until they struggled against the tall Timberwolves in the playoffs. With a more favorable playoff matchup, better health, and the East’s weakened by injuries to multiple stars such as Pacers’ Terrys Halliburton and Celtics’ Jason Tatum, a Western Conference team could win the championship for the second consecutive year.

Can the Lakers surpass opponents such as the Thunder, Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors and Timberwolves?

There is a chance. But it takes a lot of effort, a little luck, and most importantly, have a healthy lineup at the most critical moment.