1. He gives the Lakers a solid backcourt
With Bradley, the Lakers’ depth chart at guard looks solid:
PG: Bradley-Rondo-Cook-Caruso
SG: Green-KCP-Daniels-Caruso
I personally don’t really buy this report that LeBron will start at point guard – it may (hopefully) just be semantics. Bradley should be starting at that position. Around the 4-5 minute mark of the first quarter, shortly before LeBron takes his first rest of the game, you can bring in Rondo to provide better playmaking for others and veteran, championship-caliber leadership.
Cook, a career 41.8 percent 3-point shooter, can be put in when you need a little extra shot-making and youth. Hopefully, Caruso will continue where he left off late last season and proves to be a solid floor general, 3-point shooter and someone who will play at least solid defense at 6-foot-5.
Caldwell-Pope can provide outside shooting, defense (at times) and someone who can finish in transition. Perhaps coming off the bench and having a more clearly defined role will result in a KCP who more resembles the KCP of 2017-18, when he shot 38.3 percent from downtown, rather than the KCP of 2018-19 who was wildly inconsistent.
Daniels probably will be at the end of the rotation, but when he does play he can contribute with his 40.0 percent lifetime shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
No one will ever confuse this backcourt with what the Golden State Warriors have boasted the last several years, but it seemingly has a little bit of everything- decent size, outside shooting, defense, ball handling, shot-creating, playmaking and veteran leadership (Rondo, Cook and Green have all won NBA championships).
As presently constituted, the Lakers guards should be able to at least hold it down.