6. JaVale McGee
He was one of the team’s most pleasant surprises last season. Although a bout of pneumonia slowed him down in midseason, he was a big contributor at both the beginning and end of the year.
His extraordinary leaping ability allows him to be a premier target for lob passes, which will be particularly valuable when defenses double team Davis & James.
Although he is not a strong man defender in the post, where he frequently gets out-muscled, he is an excellent shot-blocker, which may convince the coaching staff to start him at center.
5. Dwight Howard
Now that his buyout with Memphis is completed, he and the Lakers are reuniting six years after he bolted from the team in free agency after a single season. Expectations now are quite different.
Presumably, he has completely recovered from the back injury that limited him to just nine games last season with Washington. The likelihood is that Howard and McGee will split about 40-42 minutes at center, with Davis playing the rest, mostly down the stretch of games.
In his nine games last year, Dwight averaged about 13 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes per game. In a full season the prior year, the numbers were 16.6 and 12.5 plus 1.6 blocks in 30 minutes for Charlotte. The Lakers would welcome similar production this year.
If his physical condition is good and he willingly assumes a supporting role, the signing has great upside. It is also low-risk because, according to reports, his non-guaranteed contract would allow the Lakers to cut him if things aren’t working satisfactorily.
4. Danny Green
This prototypical “three and D” wing was given the team’s biggest free agent contract. He is a master at positioning himself on offense to be a target for his teammates. He excels at catching and shooting, and last year finished second in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 45.5%.
Green will be the team’s defensive stopper and will be assigned to slow down the opponent’s top perimeter player every night. All of these qualities make him exactly the type of complementary player the Lakers need, the kind they were unable or unwilling to add a year ago. Plus, he brings championship experience from last year with Toronto and from 2014 with San Antonio.