Predicting Los Angeles Lakers’ 2018-19 starting lineup with LeBron James

Shooting Guard: D’Angelo Russell

If Ball is manning the point, what happens with D’Angelo Russell? There’s been speculation he could be traded to bring more assets aboard, but I don’t believe that will be the case. Instead, Jordan Clarkson seems like the more likely trade candidate.

Either way, Russell should be a great fit for the shooting guard spot in 2018-19. As we saw last season, he’s more than capable of putting up big points and nailing clutch shots. With Ball in the mix, he’ll get more opportunities to move off the ball and use that athleticism to get open looks.

Just because he’s no longer at point guard doesn’t mean Russell isn’t a rising star for the Lakers. The move would solely be an opportunity for the Lakers to keep their best players on the floor. He’s still arguably the team’s top young prospect, and showed last season that he’s more than capable of taking over games.

While he wouldn’t necessarily need to with the other players on this list, it’s a great asset to have.

Russell is still a huge long-term building block for the Lakers. The best part is, at 21 years old, there’s still a lot of room for growth with the former No. 2 overall selection. I don’t think Magic is quite ready to let all of that potential go.