LAKERS LATE SEASON ROLE PLAYER POWER RANKINGS

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

ICYMI: the Lakers are currently playing their best basketball of the season. And with only 15 games left in the regular season and their toughest road trip of the year ahead of them (@ Houston back-to-back x @ Miami x @ Orlando x @ Detroit), that first sentence is exactly what the doctor ordered if you are a member of LakerNation.

LA currently owns a 5-game winning streak (winners in 8 of their last 9 overall) which features arguably their three best overall wins of the season versus New York, Minnesota, and the miraculous dub over Denver last night. We are currently witnessing the best version of Luka the league has ever seen (34.1 PPG x 9.4 RPG x 8.1 APG x 1.1 BPG x 2.0 SPG x 48.7% FG x 39.8% 3FG x 76.7% FT across 8 games thus far in March). Austin Reaves has established himself as Luka’s certified second-option of the future, and has also praised his predecessor LBJ for his willingness to make sacrifices that translate to team success. No cliche, but the stars are absolutely aligning.

And yet, there is no supply of star shine which can yield the shine of championship rings on it’s own. And this team’s supporting cast has slowly started to spread it’s wings when it comes to effectively filling in the cracks which surround the aforementioned constellation.

We previously dissected whether these guys should stay or go this offseason, but that came both after a lackluster February and prior to this recent resurgence. Then, we were thinking ahead to next season as a possible championship chase seemed unfathomable. Now, our focus has shifted back to the current campaign as that seemingly unrealistic possibility now seems perfectly rational.

So we started thinking about how each role player ranks in terms of their importance looking ahead to the postseason, and here are the results of those thoughts.

1 | Marcus Smart

The way Marcus Smart has been playing this month is exactly the way this team needs it’s 5th starter to play. The numbers speak for themselves (10.4 PPG x 2.6 RPG x 3.1 APG vs 1.1 TOPG x 2.7 SPG x 0.6 BPG x 41% FG x 40.5% 3FG [on 6 attempts/game] x 85.7% FT), but his leadership in the locker room is his greatest gift. Plus, he has proven himself as a battle-tested soldier come playoff time.

2 | Deandre Ayton

For a guy that has received more criticism than any of his teammates (he was always going to be the scapegoat when things went south this szn), Deandre Ayton has actually been an extremely valuable member of this team. Sure, his attentiveness tapers from time-to-time when he is not getting touches. But I will take his uber-efficiency (still 2ndin the league at 66.9% FG), dominance on the glass (10.9 rebounds/36 minutes), and combination of bouldering size x sneaky athleticism patrolling the paint. He is one of the game’s most gifted big men when he is full on locked + bought in, but must find a sense of mental stability if he wants to stay on the floor (where his team needs him) come the postseason (team worst -5 over the last 10 games among rotation regulars).

3 | Rui Hachimura

At this point, Rui has kind’ve morphed into one of those guys who you know what you are going to get from. He is once again towards the top of the league in terms of outside shooting (7th at 43.6% from deep), and his midrange pull-up is in similar territory. His size and athleticism makes him malleable across virtually all lineup permutations, and JJ Redick will count on Hachimura going forth to provide a steady source of scoring for a bench unit that lacks much sauce.

4 | Luke Kennard

On the topic of sauce, Luke Kennard indeed has some. The league’s most efficient sniper gets most of his love via his silky southpaw stroke, but his playmaking ability when ops run him off the line is supremely slept on. And by no means is Kennard a defensive stopper, but he has consistently played competent, pesky defense since arriving from Atlanta.

5 | Jarred Vanderbilt

Vando is not actively a member of the regular rotation (has played in just 5 games this month), so you may be wondering why he slots in so high on this list. No matter which way you slice it, the team is typically better with him on the court. Offensive shortcomings aside, he can legitimately defend anybody in the league. If Marcus Smart finds himself in foul trouble, Vanderbilt will be next in line to tackle the toughest defensive tasks for this team on the perimeter come playoff time.

6 | Jaxson Hayes

Jaxson Hayes may never blossom into a starting-level center, but he is actively one of the better bench bigs in the league. He is probably the freakiest athlete among centers outside of Wemby, and has displayed signs of improvement as a connective passer (exemplifying a step forward in maturation for a player who has had some past character concerns). If Ayton ever falls into one of his funks, the coaching staff knows they have both Vanderbilt and Hayes ready to battle off the bench.

7 | Jake LaRavia

LaRavia’s buzz has died down since the days when nobody knew who he was early in the year, and JJ Redick has discussed his recent shooting struggles (31.7% FG + 7.1% 3FG so far in March) on multiple occasions. More specifically, Redick has praised LaRavia’s ability to impact the game in other ways. His shooting will come around, even if that means just staying around the 31.6% he is at from deep for the season. The intangibles and intelligence are what his team will need from him most going forward, and he has stayed steady in those areas all year long.

8 | Maxi Kleber

Kleber is currently sidelined with a lumbar injury, but he has certainly had some nice moments for the Lakers as of late. He may not be the floor-spacing specialist (27.3% 3FG this year) the front office/fanbase may have hoped he would be, but he has been a gritty, agile team defender capable of containing a variety of matchups. The German big fella will spend a majority of his minutes watching the postseason games from the pine, but must stay ready for action as he will likely be the next man up in the rotation if the team encounters any unforeseen circumstances.

9 | Adou Thiero

If you have not seen Adou Thiero’s G highlights with South Bay yet, do yourself a favor and go watch them. The soon-to-be 22-year-old looks like a young Jonathan Kuminga in the making. His youth will likely relegate him to strictly garbage duty minutes in the postseason, but his freakish physique could spell Marcus Smart/Jarred Vanderbilt minutes defending guys like Kawhi, Devin Booker, and so on.

10 | Dalton Knecht

Dalton Knecht’s time in Los Angeles could/should/will almost assuredly come to a close this offseason, but my boy still has all the potential to develop into a Klay Thompson type player if he finds the right situation. For now, he can still put the ball in the bucket from all 3-levels but seems stuck at the end of the bench.

11 | Bronny James

Bronny is absolutely doing his thing in the G League this year, and has South Bay’s 12-0 record during games he has played to show in support of that claim. He has again seen limited action in the big leagues, but has clearly looked more comfortable and confident (41.4% 3FG in 32 games) as he continues to find his way at the NBA level.

12 | Kobe Bufkin

Bufkin has proven himself too good to be in the G League, but has yet to find any sort of rhythm since signing his guaranteed deal with the Lakers a few weeks back. He is still incredibly young and should benefit immensely from the knowledge he absorbs off of this team’s collection of superstars and trustee vets.