The Los Angeles Lakers boast one of the most intriguing rosters in the NBA. The starting lineup is flush with players who have been known to stuff the stat sheet, including defensive anchors, generational scorers, skilled isolation playmakers, and elite three-point shooters.
That makes the 2024-25 season one of the most compelling in franchise history, as Los Angeles will look to extend the LeBron James era and win a record-tying 18th championship.
With a relatively deep cast of productive players, the Lakers will look to shift the narrative that the roster is too thin to compete. They'll be led by two of the best players in the NBA in Anthony Davis and James, who are fresh off of winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris.
The question is: Who will be the statistical pace-setters for the Lakers as they attempt to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2023-24 season?
Points: Anthony Davis
It's almost unfathomable that someone other than James could lead the Lakers in scoring. The gap in 2023-24 was just 1.0 point per game between he and Davis, however, with James also attempting 1.0 more field goal per contest.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick intends to make Davis the focal point of the offense in 2024-25, however, and it stands to reason that he'll thus be the team's leading scorer.
James is still as capable as anyone in the NBA of putting up points in a hurry, but he'll turn 40 in December. Los Angeles will need him to step up in big games to help pace it through the regular season, but the general priority appears to be playing through Davis.
Considering Davis averaged 24.7 points on 55.6 percent shooting in 2023-24, and has peaked at 28.1 points per game for a regular season, it's a safe bet that he'll lead the team in 2024-25.
Rebounds: Anthony Davis
The first of the obvious choices, Davis is the top rebounder on the Lakers and one of the best that the NBA has to offer overall. He's averaged at least 12.5 rebounds per game in each of his past two seasons, and hasn't yet shown signs of slowing down in that area.
After pulling down more rebounds than the No. 2 and No. 3 players on the Lakers combined, the answer here is Davis—without hesitation.
Davis averaged a career-high 12.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24, with James checking in at No. 2 with 7.3 and Christian Wood ranking No. 3 at 5.1. Their combined 12.4 rebounds per game were less than Davis managed on his own, which paints a clear picture of who the favorite is here.
Davis not only ranked No. 1 on the Lakers, but was No. 3 in the NBA—and he should be right back in the hunt for the league lead in 2024-25.
Assists: LeBron James
This isn't quite the open-and-shut case that it once was, but James still takes the lead for assists. Three different Lakers averaged at least 5.5 assists per game in 2023-24, with James at 8.5, D'Angelo Russell at 6.5, and Austin Reaves at 5.5.
James will likely hold onto the team lead for the 2024-25 season, but Redick intends to alleviate some of the playmaking burden from him—meaning Reaves could emerge as the team leader.
Sticking with James is the safe bet whenever a conversation about numbers arises, as he epitomizes statistical greatness. Even when he takes a step back, his basketball IQ and uncanny ability to impose his will on a game ultimately rears its head.
Reaves has a strong chance to take another step forward as a facilitator and lead the Lakers in assists, but 2024-25 should act as at least one more season during which James leads the way.
Blocks: Anthony Davis
In addition to being the best shot-blocker on the Lakers, Davis ranks among the best in the NBA in that regard. Despite acting as the Lakers' most active perimeter defender in 2023-24, he redirected 2.3 shots per game, ranking No. 4 in the NBA.
A healthy second unit should lead to improved perimeter defense, meaning Davis should be able to spend more time in the paint and block even more shots in 2024-25.
Davis led the Lakers in total blocks and blocks per game in 2023-24 with 178 and 2.3 respectively. Wood was second on the team at 0.7 per contest, while James checked in at No. 2 with 38 overall—neither of which came close to Davis' output.
Even if the Lakers had added depth at center this summer, Davis still would've been a remarkably safe bet to lead the team in blocks once again.
Steals: Jarred Vanderbilt
Few players project to be as important to the Lakers' championship aspirations as Jarred Vanderbilt. Entering the first season of the four-year, $48 million extension he signed in 2023, Vanderbilt will be trusted to step in and thrive as the proverbial wing-stopper in 2024-25 and beyond.
Steals won't be the end-all, be-all of what Vanderbilt brings to the table, but he projects to be active along the perimeter and should lead the Lakers in takeaways.
Despite missing 53 games and struggling to develop a consistent rhythm on the court, Vanderbilt finished the 2023-24 season at No. 3 on the team in steals per game. His mark of 1.2 was especially impressive considering he averaged just 20.0 minutes played.
Boasting a career average of 1.9 steals per 36 minutes, expect Vanderbilt to create turnovers and fuel a vastly improved transition attack in 2024-25.
Three-Point Field Goals Made: D'Angelo Russell
Russell is likely to repeat as the team leader after setting the franchise record for three-point field goals made in a single season in 2023-24. What makes this a difficult choice, however, is the simple fact that Russell may not be with the Lakers beyond the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
Russell has been included in a steady stream of trade rumors and has an expiring contract that could field Los Angeles an ideal return—but until a deal is done, he's the obvious favorite for team leader.
Russell led the Lakers in three-point field goals made per game at 3.0 in 2023-24, which ranked far ahead of James at No. 2 with 2.1. Beyond the averages, he was also No. 1 on the team in total three-point field goals made at 226 and shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc, good for second behind Rui Hachimura at 42.2 percent.
Unless a trade actually goes through, Russell is the heavy and rational favorite to lead the Lakers in three-point shooting—per game or total.