Do the Lakers have a Bench Mob?
By Mike Garcia
With the focus on Byron Scott revealing the starting line up, one oversight is the bench talent the Lakers have. Assuming Wesley Johnson starts, Nick Young comes off the bench.
That would make the bench unit as follows:
C – Ed Davis
PF – Julius Randle
SF – Xavier Henry
SG – Nick Young
PG – Jeremy Lin
Unfortunately, there isn’t good news for Xavier Henry.
This provides an opportunity for Nick Young and Kobe Bryant to get minutes at the small forward position. Xavier Henry was great at attacking the basket last season, but Nick Young and Kobe Bryant can fill the minutes leftover from Wesley Johnson successfully.
The bench unit has tremendous scoring power. Jeremy Lin and Nick Young have been starters in the past. Nick Young scored a career high 17.9 points per game in just 28 minutes of play, mostly coming off the bench. Jeremy Lin, on the other hand, is more successful when his minutes rise as well. Both Young and Lin can provide energy, spark, and team speed to a starting line up that may lack it.
Mar 31, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) is blocked out by Memphis Grizzlies forward Ed Davis (32) and forward Tayshaun Prince (21) during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Up front, things get more interesting. Jordan Hill plays with a great motor and strength, but Ed Davis adds those qualities along with length at the center position. According to Basketballreference.com, per-36 minutes of play, Ed Davis is capable of a double-double in points and rebounds. He also averages 1.5 blocks per game per-36 minutes of play as well.
Julius Randle may be expected to average double-doubles when he’s given extended minutes. He was one of the top prospects of the 2013 high school class, and averaged 15.4 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game in 30.8 minutes for Kentucky last season. The NBA season will be an adjustment for him. However, he combines a tremendous motor along with great strength and a soft touch in the paint.
When Xavier Henry gets healthy, the main rotation may be extended to ten players. Carlos Boozer, Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Julius Randle can split minutes between the power forward and center positions. Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Xavier Henry, and Wesley Johnson can split minutes between the wing positions. That leaves the remaining point guard position with Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin. Jordan Clarkson may get some point guard duty, but Kobe Bryant has been proven as an initiator of the offense before and Xavier Henry had some experience running an offense last season.
Byron Scott has the luxury of moderating a player’s minutes outside of Kobe Bryant. The talent does not slip dramatically if he substitutes a player in. Instead, he can use the bench as an adjustment of offensive firepower depending on the opponent. If the Lakers need more transition speed, they can put Jeremy Lin and Julius Randle on the floor. If the Lakers need to play more physical, Kobe Bryant and Carlos Boozer may get extended minutes.
While the Lakers didn’t land any franchise free agents this past summer, they did stock the roster with solid talent. The Lakers went through one of the worst seasons health-wise in NBA history. With the added free agents and depth at all positions, the Lakers will be more ready to compete on a nightly basis.