Bleacher Report recently released the best five-man lineup for each team. For the Los Angeles Lakers, their lineup will surprise you.
As we get closer to the NBA Trade Deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best records in the NBA. Most of the moves that the Lakers have made this offseason have paid off, and the Lakers have the record to prove it.
With a good sample size of games to use, Bleacher Report recently named the best five-man lineup for each team. B/R didn’t use a traditional method when making the lineups, as you can read here how these lineups came to be. For some teams, including the Lakers the results were pretty wild.
In the article, the Lakers’ best-five man lineup was Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, and Dwight Howard.
Obviously, this lineup is without Anthony Davis, who is a true superstar in the league. However, it is noted that LeBron James thrives with Anthony Davis off the court.
"The Los Angeles Lakers are ripping through opponents when LeBron James plays without Davis, and this unit, while not so much a staple lately, is among their five most-used combinations, period."
This combination is actually a lineup that the Lakers have used quite a bit when Davis is getting his rest. As shown by an impressive net rating of 25.9, it has been a pretty good lineup.
James obviously belongs in this grouping, but it is worth noting that Dwight Howard deserves to be as well. Howard has been great off the bench this season for the Lakers, and has been a great producer for them in somewhat limited minutes played.
In addition to Howard, Alex Caruso just seems to be on the court when good things are happening for the Lakers. Even though his stats aren’t very impressive, he plays hard defense and always seems to make the right play on the court.
The two surprising names mentioned are Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo. While Rondo has been better this season, it’s hard to imagine that he would be chosen over a guy like Danny Green. Kuzma is the real wild card here, as he has not had a very good season at all for the Lakers.
This was certainly an interesting piece from Bleacher Report that you can read in it’s entirety here. Finally, with the game on the line, you know that Davis will be on the floor for the Lakers.