(This article was published on September 27, and the author is Law Murray, a reporter of The Athletic. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views.)

A year ago, Lakers coach Redick was very sure of his starting lineup for his first season. He announced before the training camp that Russell, Reeves, Hachimura, James and Davis would be his starters.

By this year, Redick said that confirming the starting lineup is not that important to him. “I haven’t spent much time thinking about the starting lineup, but I think there are seven or eight players on the team who have started,” he said. “The official starting lineup will be announced after the start of training camp.”

As a second season as the Lakers head coach, Reddick will inevitably face some tough decisions, especially given the huge changes in the team’s lineup since last year. Last season, the Lakers won 50 games in the regular season.

First, a deal with the Nets before New Year's Day sent Russell away and exchanged for Finney Smith. Then there was a big deal with the Mavericks, sending Davis away and in exchange for Doncic. There was originally a deal involving Kneckett Mark Williams, but the deal with the Hornets was ultimately not reached.

The Lakers failed to find a suitable replacement for Davis last season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves beat the Lakers in all interior statistics and eliminated them 4-1 with a total score. Entering the offseason, the Lakers' top priority is to find a qualified starting center. So Ayton joined the team. The 27-year-old 7-foot-long man was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft and was in the same year as Doncic.

After a series of operations last season, the Lakers' lineup changes as follows:

Before the start of last season:

Haamura, James, Davis, Reeves, Russell, Vincent, Hayes, Christie, Vanderbilt, Kneckett, Wood, Maxwell Lewis, Brownie, Redish, Schiffino, Kolok, Traore, Olivari

Before the start of last season's playoffs:

Hamura Shiramiya, James, Ryan, Reeves, Doncic, Vincent, Hayes, Jordan Goodwin, Vanderbilt, Kneckett, Kleber, Finney Smith, Brownie, Morris Big, Milton, Koloke, Jamison

Lakers' basketball operations president Pelinka mentioned several times on Thursday that management will consider adjusting the roster after 20 to 25 games in the new season, which coincides with the NBA Cup that ended in December.

Did the Lakers get better or worse in the past year? What problems do they still need to solve before entering the training camp? Let's take a look at all the changes and evaluate them.

Swap Russell for Doncic

The Lakers have tried many point guards in the past, including Sessions, Nash, Kendall Marshall, Jeremy Lin, Russell (in the draft), Lonzo Ball, Rondo, Schroder, Westbrook and Russell for the second attempt. Eventually, they welcomed Doncic, which made the Lakers younger and taller in point guard position and stronger in the most important offensive position in this game.

Not only that, the stability of the Lakers point guard has also been improved. Doncic signed a contract extension last month that includes the 2028 player options. Doncic will turn 27 by the end of February, and his offseason loss may help him reach his peak.

Redick said in an interview Thursday: "I am looking forward to the best version of Doncic. As a coach, my job is to stimulate this potential of players every day."

Davis and Ryan were replaced with Ayton, and Davis averaged 7.6 free throws per game with the Lakers, and Ayton had only one single free throw in or more than 7 in 40 games last season for the Trail Blazers. In addition, Davis averaged 3.4 assists per game with Reddick, while Ayton only had three assists in a single game throughout the season. Although Davis' three-point shooting percentage in the Lakers was not high (the Bubble Park was an exception in 2020), he scored 28 three-pointers in 42 games, with a shooting percentage of 29.8%; while Ayton only scored 28 three-pointers throughout his career, with a shooting percentage of only 23%.

Alton is not as good as Davis in ball handling and movement, his size advantage cannot be ignored. Davis is 6-foot-10 and weighs 253 pounds; Ayton is 7-foot-tall and weighs 252 pounds. Ayton's mission is not to be Davis, but to replace Ryan, who performed poorly last year. His responsibilities are simple: leverage his size to provide the Lakers with a terminator, rebounder and basket protector. Even if it's just to reach the bench level, Ayton can make the Lakers more complete after the All-Star game.

Pellinka said: "When Ayton was playing pick-and-roll with Reeves, Doncic and James, he had shown his ability to catch the ball in a short pass. In addition, he was also an alley relay threat. Therefore, his addition did add to the team's dimensions."

Swap Christie and Goodwin for Smart

Last season, Christie's biggest breakthrough was a stable starting position after Reddick placed Russell on the bench for a month. The Lakers sent Christie away to get Doncic, while Jordan Goodwin won a rotation position before the All-Star game and got a regular on the two-way contract. Goodwin now joins the Sun due to cap space restrictions.

In addition to Ayton, Smart is the biggest X-factor for the Lakers. The Lakers need his defensive ability when starting off the offense, and Smart does have that ability, he won the 2021-22 DPOY at the Celtics. Smart should be considered for starting with Doncic, James, Reeves and Ayton instead of Uehachimura. But like Ayton, Smart has been absent for most of the past two seasons, which the Lakers management admitted on Thursday.

"Smart has proven himself to be a top 3D player at various stages of his career," Pelinka said. "Our medical team is working to help him get back to his previous form. He has always been an underrated organizer in my opinion."

Swap Lewis and Finney Smith for Laravia

In the past year, the Lakers have made four major adjustments, one of which was a change in the forward position. Maxwell Lewis was selected by the 40th pick in 2023, but after the Lakers played for only 132 minutes, he was put into the Finney Smith trade. Among the Lakers, only Doncic, Reeves, James, Davis and Hachimura averaged more playing time than Finney Smith (28.8 minutes), and in the playoffs, this number rose to 34.0 minutes per game. Finney Smith even served as center in Game 5 against the Timberwolves.

Finney Smith is a versatile defender with a 39.8% three-point shooting percentage. Laravia is unlikely to be asked to play the same defensive role. He needs to prove that he can still hit 42.3% of three-point shooting last season with more than 2.2 shots per game. In addition, Laravia's free throw percentage last season was less than 70%, so there are some questions about his shooting ability. However, Laravia is taller than Finney Smith, at least he is equally athletic and younger (he will turn 24 in November).

"He is a great choice for me and our player development department, and we can keep him growing." Reddick said of Laravia, "I have high hopes for him."

exchanged Reddish and Big Morris for rookie Tiero

Redish was cut by the Lakers at the end of March to make a place for Goodwin. But the Lakers originally planned to send Redish to the Hornets as part of the Mark Williams trade, but the deal ultimately failed. Markieff Morris was sent to the Lakers in Doncic's trade and ended up playing only 124 minutes. Reddish started eight games with the Lakers, playing 589 minutes in total. The 2025 No. 36 Tierro will be closer to Big Morris than Reddish.

sent away Sifino and Milton

2023 No. 17 pick Sifino, who was involved in Doncic's trade after playing for the Lakers only 123 minutes. Milton was traded in Russell's trade and played for 345 minutes before being cut. Due to insufficient salary space, the Lakers are unable to sign another standard contract player.

Traore and Jamison for Mannon

The Lakers signed a two-way contract with Traore early last season, but cut it in February to free up the spot for Goodwin. Jamison replaced Olivari's two-way contract spot in January and was cut in the offseason after the season ended. Chris Mannon is a defensive wing player who contributed 56 steals and 33 blocks in 33 games last season at Vanderbilt; the Lakers signed a two-way contract with him after the Summer League.

Let Olivari

In last year's training camp, Olivari defeated Goodwin, Keller Kelly and Castleton to win a two-way contract. This year, five training camps have invited players to compete for a two-way contract quota, while Mannon and Kolok have occupied two other two-way contract quotas.

Current candidates include undraft RJ Davis (from the University of North Carolina), Augustus Matthew Leonis (from St. Mary's College) and Eric Dixon (from Villanova University), as well as Keller Kelly and wing Tavian Jones. I guess the winner of this competition will be the better performer among both Davis and Matthew Leonis, because this is the position where the Lakers lack the most candidates after the starting lineup and the substitute lineup.

Original text: Law Murray

Compiled by: JayChan