Predicting the Los Angeles Lakers’ Final Roster, Depth Chart For 2016-17

Small Forward

1. Luol Deng
2. Brandon Ingram
3. Metta World Peace

Luke Walton appears set on bringing the No. 2 overall pick off the bench (via the Los Angeles Daily News), so that makes Luol Deng the starter–at least to begin the season.

The Lakers paid him starter money this offseason, and will be hoping to get some quality production from the aging veteran early in the year.

That makes Brandon Ingram the backup at small forward. While he may be one of the most intriguing young forwards in the game, he’s still got a lot to learn. Luckily for Lakers fans, it won’t take long for him to slide into the starting lineup.

Especially considering Deng’s durability issues, Ingram should be starting before the All-Star break.

That means there’s only one spot left on the small forward depth chart. It’ll come down to Nick Young and Metta World Peace, and I believe the latter wins the gig. Los Angeles appears eager to part ways with Young, and World Peace is essentially a player-coach at this point.

He may be older, but offers far more value.

Who didn’t make the cut: Nick Young