The Los Angeles Lakers guard duo of Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were ranked slightly below average by Bleacher Report in their backcourt rankings.
The Los Angeles Lakers have done an excellent job in recent years stockpiling talent throughout the roster. Given the success that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have had, the Lakers are two or three players deep at every position.
One area that the Lakers have good depth at this season is in the backcourt. Last season, depth at the guard position wasn’t great. When Lonzo Ball suffered an injury, they didn’t have many options to turn to that could replace him in the lineup.
This offseason, the Lakers addressed that need. Rajon Rondo was signed in free agency. Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was re-signed, while veteran Lance Stephenson was brought in as well. Josh Hart is another holdover from last year’s team.
With that kind of depth, the Lakers can mix and match in the backcourt. All of their guards have skill sets that can mesh with each other, giving Luke Walton a chance to try out different combinations.
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Many people believe that the Lakers will go with their backcourt from last season, Ball and Caldwell-Pope, as the starters.
That combination plays well off of each other given their skill sets. Ball is a great playmaker, which Caldwell-Pope benefits from as a spot-up shooter. Defensively, both players excelled. Ball’s length and instincts helped him perform better than people thought he would on that end of the court, while Caldwell-Pope is one of the better defensive guards in the league.
While the Lakers backcourt has talent, some people need to see more. Over at Bleacher Report, all the backcourts in the NBA were ranked heading into training camp. The Lakers backcourt of Ball and Caldwell-Pope came in as the No. 17 ranked tandem in the league.
Here is part of what was said about the Lakers’ duo.
"That should be Ball’s baseline alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who continues to develop as a three-and-D contributor lurking just outside the spotlight. Even if Ball remains an offensive liability, he’ll be a clear positive overall.And if he develops a capable jumper…"
Bleacher Report touched on Ball’s playmaking and defense as a reason this backcourt excels. Unfortunately, his shooting numbers were so bad, they dragged down his overall numbers. However, if his shooting numbers improve as the Lakers are hoping, that will assuredly push the Lakers’ backcourt into the top half of the league.
There is a chance this backcourt isn’t the combination that plays the most minutes together. The organization is enamored with Josh Hart, and Rondo will have a role off the bench as well.
As long as everyone remains healthy, it would not be surprising to see Rondo and Hart play more minutes than Caldwell-Pope this season. The key to this prediction, however, is Ball.
If Ball can improve his shooting numbers to something in between his .360/.305/451 from his rookie season and .551/.412/.673 from his lone season at UCLA, Los Angeles will make a major jump up these backcourt rankings.