The Los Angeles Lakers have a new-look roster that has improved from the title-winning roster of last season.
The Los Angeles Lakers did something that is hard for a championship-winning team to do: got significantly better in the offseason. Rob Pelinka has constructed a new-look roster that has somehow improved on the roster that won the title last season.
There are a lot of new faces on this roster that are going to have to get accustomed to playing with each other and build up that same chemistry that the team had last season. Only six players from last year’s team have returned; one of which was the bought out Markieff Morris and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker, who did not play much.
Thus, we thought it was fitting to rank the players on the new-look roster both by overall talent as well as how they fit/contribute to the team. For simplicity’s sake, we are assuming Anthony Davis re-signs with the Lakers, something that is all-but official.
12. Alfonzo McKinnie
Alfonzo McKinnie was acquired by the team in the JaVale McGee trade that was meant to free up the salary cap space to sign Marc Gasol. Jordan Bell was also in this trade but was waived. His non-guaranteed contract does not count against the Lakers’ cap.
McKinnie also has a non-guaranteed contract but he remains on the Lakers’ roster. Now, he probably is the first one out if the Lakers can make any sort of upgrade during the season and his contract figure is a good one to have if the team ever trades Kyle Kuzma.
At the end of the day, though, McKinnie is not going to see much playing time with the Lakers. He is good to have for depth purposes but I do not see him playing any more than Jared Dudley did last season.