Somehow the Lakers got off to a worse start this season than they had last year, and it is yet again because of how they have decided to fill out their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
They may have found some decent young role players for the future, but most of their moves have not worked out as well as they liked, and that is the main reason why they are below playoff contention at this point.
The good signings and draft selections from this offseason make up the “studs” portion of the list and they have played relatively consistently in their roles since the start of the season. Even if they have not put-up huge numbers, they have all had moments of brilliance where their upside has been blatantly evident.
These players are responsible for the moments of promise that the Lakers have had this season.
Bad free-agent moves and trades round out the “duds” side of the list because they have not lived up to expectations. These guys were supposed to play big roles and meaningful minutes, and some have fallen out of the rotation altogether.
So which Lakers have been studs, and which have been duds?
Guys like Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder do not make either side of this list because their play has been up and down since their returns from injuries later in the season. Rookies like Cole Swider and Scottie Pippen Jr. fail to make either side of the list because they have not logged enough NBA minutes yet to judge them.