Lakers’ training camp: 5 storylines as they look to contend in parity-ridden Western Conference

For the first time in years, the Lakers won’t enter training camp with roster drama or trade rumors hanging over their heads.

After having significant personnel shakeups the last few offseasons, the Lakers had a productive yet relatively quiet summer – at least by their standards – by prioritizing continuity and keeping the core from the squad that made a run to the Western Conference finals intact.

But that doesn’t mean camp won’t be eventful.

As is the case with any team hoping to contend for an NBA title, especially in a Western Conference in which several teams rightfully believe they could make it to the NBA finals, the Lakers have a multitude of questions to answer.

Lakers ready to kick off training camp, embracing expectations

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Here are the five biggest storylines to follow as the Lakers enter camp, with their first preseason game set for Saturday against the Golden State Warriors:

Who will be the fifth starter?

Any potential doubts, if there were any, about how the Lakers’ starting backcourt would shake out entering the 2023-24 season were quickly remedied.

Coach Darvin Ham said during last Thursday’s press conference that D’Angelo Russell, who’s returning to Los Angeles on a two-year, $36 million contract (team option on the second season) he signed as a free agent over the summer, will be the team’s starting point guard.

Ham also said that Austin Reaves, who’s coming off a breakout season and is returning to the Lakers on a four-year, $53.8 million deal, will be the Lakers’ starting shooting guard – a role he played to close out the 2022-23 regular season and in the playoffs.

Both decisions were expected. And with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, that leaves one starting spot open for competition.

Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt are expected to be the frontrunners for the final starting spot, with each potentially bringing a different dynamic to the starting unit.

How will the big man/frontcourt minutes be dispersed?

General manager Rob Pelinka said in July that he and Ham spoke with Davis about playing more minutes alongside another big man, similar to how he did with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee during the Lakers’ 2019-20 championship season.

Enter Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes, who the Lakers signed as free agents during the summer and should allow for Davis to play more power forward.

But if Davis mostly starts as the lone big – not alongside Wood or Hayes – one of those two will likely have to play limited minutes or not be in the rotation a fair share of games.

There are only so many frontcourt minutes to go around for James, Davis, Hayes, Wood, Vanderbilt, Prince and Hachimura.

“We’re going to tinker and entertain all different sorts of lineups,” Ham said. “Whether it’s smallball, whether it’s going big.”

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Is Max Christie ready for a bigger role?

The backup point guard spot appears to be solidified with Gabe Vincent, who signed a three-year, $33 million

What about the other reserve guard?

Max Christie, who the Lakers drafted at No. 35 in 2022, appears to be ready for a more significant role in the rotation after his performances during summer league.

He spoke throughout the summer about wanting to be a fixture in the rotation. If he proves in camp he’s ready for a bigger role, the Lakers would have more lineup options between going big vs. small.

They also made the free agency addition of Cam Reddish, the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, who could also be a factor as a backup wing.

Will age factor into improvements?

A subplot of the Lakers’ last several months: they’ve gotten younger, which provides optimism that team improvements could be made through individual development.

That was already the expectation for a player like Reaves, who’s coming off an integral offseason after playing with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

But Reaves is among several 20-somethings whose improvements could help the Lakers contend in a parity-ridden West. Davis and James are the only players who are at least 30 years old on the roster.

“It’s easy to overlook that Christian Wood is [28],” Pelinka said. “We were going down the list, Gabe Vincent is 27, DLo is 27, Vando is 24, Austin is 25. These guys have a lot of growth left still. We talked about the versatility and depth of the roster, but it’s also young and I’m excited to see how some of these guys improve.”

How will the Lakers manage LeBron’s workload?

The expectations of James, who’ll turn 39 in December and is entering his 21st NBA season, are unprecedented.

He still performs at near-prime levels when he’s on the floor, but consistently being available hasn’t been a given like it was for most of his career. James missed 27 regular-season games in 2020-21, 26 in 2021-22 and 27 last season.

Even after returning from a 13-game absence from Feb. 28-March 24 because of a torn tendon in his right foot, James was clearly limited physically. The Lakers’ hope to get the best out of James in the playoffs. But doing so will likely require them to lighten his regular-season workload, which is something they feel more equipped to do.

“Now that we have, top to bottom, what we feel like is a highly-balanced, skilled, athletic, younger team of guys who logged a ton of NBA minutes, we can surround both [James] and AD with these players who are coming in eager to contribute, eager to show that they can impact winning,” Ham said. “That’s going to allow us to be more efficient with his game-to-game minutes, the big picture, month-to-month, different sections in the calendar.

“He was grandfathered in by the rest rules so I was happy to see that. The pieces that we have in places, those guys are going to step up and do a lot of heavy lifting early.”