Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and JaVale McGee
It is funny to think about it this way, but many of the above names are the elder statesmen of the Los Angeles Lakers, the longest-serving members of the purple and gold. If I told you that KCP and Kyle Kuzma were the longest-tenured Lakers on the roster, would you believe me?
The purple and gold have undergone massive changes since the days of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Gone are the days of the Lakers core remaining the same and adding one or two new faces to the mix to energize the team so they can make a run at a championship. Now it seems commonplace for half of the roster to be disregarded and replaced on a season by season basis.
However, with Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee, this offers the Lakers a lineup that has played together for at least a season.
The lineup with these four players is ideally placed to be the Lakers 2nd unit coming off the bench. With the familiarity these players share, it would be ideal to put these players up against a 2nd unit that might not have the same cohesion and chemistry as the above four players.
With McGee, you have a rim protector. With Kuzma, you have a floor-spacing forward who will be able to give McGee room to operate in the post.
With Caldwell-Pope and Caruso, you get a pairing who knows their role within a team construct. Neither player is going to be asked to dominate on a nightly basis, however, they know when to be passive and when to be aggressive.
Caruso and KCP were adequate defenders when it came to marking opposing teams starting units, they should more than be able to hold their own on that end against the 2nd units.
I am a firm believer that this lineup is capable of stretching the Lakers’ lead on any given night due to the level of familiarity they have together.
With the likes of McGee, Caruso, Kuzma, and KCP all pushing for spots in the starting lineup this season, you can bet that the level of intensity and focus this lineup will bring each night will be a big factor in the Los Angeles Lakers win total at the end of the season.
Each of the above lineups poses a threat to the opposing team. General manager Rob Pelinka should be commended for adding players who fit the Lakers system in which they wish to run.
I am sure that during training camp, line ups will begin to form for the purple and gold. Here is hoping it leads to a deep playoff run.