Lakers rumors: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope likely to be starter

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is likely to be a Los Angeles Lakers starter

At one point, Rajon Rondo may have been positioned to join the Los Angeles Lakers starting five in light of Avery Bradley not joining the team in the Orlando bubble, but with Rondo out for six-plus weeks due to a broken thumb, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will now be the starter, according to recent Lakers rumors.

Bradley is not with the team due to opting out of the season’s continuation to be with his family.

KCP is one of the several players who will have a lot more pressure applied with Rondo now out.

Frank Vogel made sure to note that the current title is “replacement starter” and that nothing is firm at this point, according to Mike Trudell.

The Lakers will play eight seeding games starting at the end of July. Given their position at the top of the Western Conference already, it will be an opportune time for Frank Vogel to tweak lineups and see what works best, but KCP is the most logical fit in the starting five to kick things off.

KCP has already started 20 games this season, and as a starter averages 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists compared to the 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists he averages as a reserve. As a starter his true shooting percentage is 64.1, as a reserve its a lowly 56.7 percent.

And of course, as Trudell notes, the team went an impressive 17-3 with Caldwell-Pope as a starter.

With LeBron James doing a good amount of the point guard duties on offense, Caldwell-Pope is a solid fit. His best position being the two-slot, he can serve a complementary, off-ball role in offensive sets to LeBron James. Beyond the arc, Caldwell-Pope averages 40.7 percent in catch-and-shoot situations.

All in all, not anything too shocking in terms of Lakers news, but still good to know who exactly will make up the starting five for the Lakers when games resume.