Projecting Lakers' Depth Chart, Rotation After 2022 NBA Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers' heavy lifting is done for the 2022 NBA offseason.

Probably.

Granted, it feels like a Russell Westbrook trade is very much still a possibility, but if they really don't want to give up a first-round pick in the exchange, then a deal isn't happening.

Assuming the dust has settled, then, let's examine this group by laying out the depth chart and likely rotation before establishing their expectations for the upcoming campaign.

Depth Chart

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 23: Lonnie Walker IV #1 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 23, 2021 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

Despite experiencing a decent amount of turnaround this summer, the Lakers' depth chart feels fairly straightforward.

There might be a few training camp battles to monitor, but heading into it, this is how things should take shape.

PG: Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn

SG: Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Max Christie

SF: LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker, Troy Brown Jr.

PF: Anthony Davis, Stanley Johnson, Juan Toscano-Anderson

C: Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Wenyen Gabriel

The biggest question here is whether the Lakers start Davis at power forward or center, but the return of Bryant can allow them to play big without sacrificing spacing. The camp battle between Reaves and Walker for a starting spot should be ferocious.

Rotation

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PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 5: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on April 5, 2022 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

There isn't much to discuss with James or Davis, so let's get them out of the way first.

As long as they're healthy, they're going to play a ton. They'll move around the floor, too, with Davis pinging between the 4 and 5 spots, while James will operate primarily at the 3 and 4, though he could conceivably see action at any position.

Barring a trade, Westbrook should get a lot of work, too. Maybe it's lip service or a leverage play, but Lakers coach Darvin Ham sounds confident he can find a helpful niche for the 33-year-old.

Plus, Westbrook's only backup on the depth chart, Nunn, just lost an entire season to a knee injury, so it's hard to say how much L.A. can rely on him.

Regardless who wins the starting job between Reaves and Walker, both will see plenty of floor time. The former probably gets more minutes due to his reliability on defense, but the latter's minutes will peak when his three-ball is falling. If he sustains a season-long hot streak like Malik Monk did last time around, Walker might log the most floor time.

The Lakers need a bounce back from Horton-Tucker, and they should give him ample opportunity to find one. The challenge for Brown and Toscano-Anderson, then, will be using their energy and defense to force their way onto the floor—and possibly ahead of Johnson, who hinders the spacing as a non-shooter.

If the Lakers want Davis at the 4, the fight between Bryant and Jones for the starting center spot should be a good one.

Bryant's three-ball probably gets him the nod, but he'll need to stay healthy and keep his energy up to stay ahead of Jones, who uses his athleticism and activity to make things happen around the rim.

Expectations

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 01: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the closing seconds of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on April 1, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. The Pelicans won 114-111. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Is there a chance this club actually factors into the championship race? Probably not, although you never want to completely rule out a team with top-shelf talents like James and Davis.

Still, this will be the fourth season for the James-Davis tandem, and while one delivered a title, another fizzled out in the first round and the third stopped before the playoffs started. Injuries have obviously played a part, but even in the 576 minutes the stars shared last season, the Lakers were outscored by 2.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.

This roster has a lot of weak spots, and while L.A. kept busy in free agency, it didn't dramatically improve them. Not without major breakouts from players like Walker, Bryant and Brown, at least.

The Lakers should factor into the Western Conference playoff race, but that might be as good as it gets—barring a Westbrook trade that delivers real contributors (think, Kyrie Irving or Buddy Hield and Myles Turner).

Internal expectations and those within the fanbase are surely at the championship-or-bust level, but objectively speaking, a trip to the second round would be a successful season.