Projected Lakers starting lineup and rotation as L.A. enters life without LeBron

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially in their Luka Dončić era, full stop. LeBron James left for Philly, which freed up Rob Pelinka to build a roster to Dončić’s specifications. That meant, first and foremost, handing Walker Kessler $130 million in free agency — and trading two-first round picks to Utah in the process.

That leaves L.A. with a set core and very little flexibility for future upgrades. All their eggs are in a this basket now. While it’s fair to be skeptical of the Lakers’ absolute ceiling in such a competitive league, they are — on paper — a very capable team. Dončić remains a top-five player and a one-man offense, while Kessler’s rim protection should elevate a needy defense. Here’s how the roster stacks up.

Lakers projected starting lineup and depth chart

There’s still some uncertainty with the Lakers’ starting five. Dončić, Austin Reaves and Kessler are locks, of course, while Quentin Grimes is more or less confirmed as a starter on the wing. Who claims that power forward spot, however, remains to be seen. It could become an open battle in training camp, as there are arguments for three or four different players.

For now, let’s pencil in Jake LaRavia, who is more established in L.A.’s system than newcomer Sandro Mamukelashvili. While Mamu was an exciting addition and the Lakers paid handsomely for his services, he probably makes the most sense as a Swiss Army Knife forward-center off the bench. There’s a lot to like about Mamu’s dribble-pass-shoot skill set in the frontcourt, but he’s not much of a defender and the Lakers need both size and defense at the four.

Jarred Vanderbilt has a case, too, but he’s basically a non-factor offensively and the Lakers shouldn’t cramp the spacing around Dončić and Reaves any more than is necessary. A smaller lineup with Ziaire Williams or Matisse Thybulle next to Grimes on the wing is plausible, but L.A. would be quite vulnerable against more muscular opponents. If you told me Adou Thiero is starting by midseason, I’d probably believe you. But he has more left to prove.

Lakers projected 10-man rotation

Let’s assume, for now, that Los Angeles operates with a standard 10-man rotation. That will obviously change night to night depending on injuries and matchups, but it’s a helpful baseline visual. Here — roughly — is how the pecking order shapes up, at least on paper.

Los Angeles will need to workshop the second unit in camp. Cameron Carr was electric in Summer League and the Lakers’ rookie offers a blend of high-volume, dynamic shot-making and wing defense that J.J. Redick is sure to appreciate. If he’s not in the rotation on Opening Day, it probably won’t take long for Carr to at least force a conversation.

That said, the Lakers need Vanderbilt’s dirty work more than ever, regardless of whatever offensive sacrifices it entails. Williams’ defense should earn him plenty of minutes; there’s a nonzero chance he ends up starting over Grimes at some point, as the latter’s bucket-getting mentality is probably better suited to the sixth man role anyway. Collin Sexton, a score-first guard with an infectious attitude, is going to split a lot of time between Dončić and Reaves as the third wheel in L.A.’s backcourt.

Mamu will do a bit of everything in the frontcourt and earn his keep. Kevon Looney is the only true backup five on the roster. That is not ideal, to be frank, but Looney’s rebounding, screen-setting and winning pedigree will mean he’s on the floor for most of the non-Kessler minutes, at least until L.A. can find an alternative.