Los Angeles Lakers: Is their bench deep enough to win it all?

The Los Angeles Lakers may have a lot of talent across their starting five, but do they have the depth necessary to win a championship this year?

When the NBA hopefully returns later this month, and there is no guarantee that will even happen, the Los Angeles Lakers will come back as one of the presumptive favorites to win a championship. Any roster with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, perhaps the best two-man combination in the league, has to be treated as such.

But with the addition of J.R. Smith to their roster to shore up some holes left by Avery Bradley’s decision not to go to Florida, it is clear that this is a Lakers rotation that is far from perfect. Not that there is anything wrong with Smith’s game, but at 34 and having been out of the league for a period, it is fair to say his best days are behind him.

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Rather it is some of the players who Smith will be joining, and who will have to contribute in some small way if the Lakers are to win it all. JaVale McGee and Dion Waiters are also on the team, and both haven’t always helped the organizations they have played for. A lot will be expected of Kyle Kuzma too, and he is among the more divisive players in the league.

It isn’t all bad however, as the resurgent Dwight Howard has been a big help off the bench, and Alex Caruso looks primed to step up and play valuable minutes. Danny Green can always be relied on to make a big shot. But when compared to the rosters of other contenders such as the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, do the Lakers have what it takes to turn to their bench for stretches?

We know the Lakers will likely always have one of James or Davis on the court at all times, but four rounds of games to win a title requires others to step up at certain times when the superstars are having a rare moment to recoup or are struggling to make an impact. In that sense the Clippers are in a better spot than the Lakers, even if adding Joakim Noah isn’t going to excite many fans.

Landry Shamet, an important offensive outlet for them (39.2 percent from 3-point range this season), likely won’t make it to the bubble, at least initially, as a result of testing positive for COVID-19 recently. But the tandem of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell off the bench will be of huge importance to the Clippers, and is something the Lakers can’t counter with themselves.

Reggie Jackson was a sneaky good pickup as a backup point guard too, and being able to play him 15 minutes a game in the postseason will be huge for them (shooting 45.2 percent from deep during his time with the team so far). It is hard to see some combination of Rajon Rondo, Waiters, Smith and McGee keeping up with that, although Howard could do well against a more traditional center who has similarities to him like Harrell.

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If you take a look at how five-man lineups have fared throughout the season, the Clippers feature heavily in groups that have great offensive ratings. The Lakers, not so much. Worryingly for the Lakers, the Clippers have quite a few good groupings with favorable defensive ratings, which is to be expected when you have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on your team.

The Lakers do boast the third-best defensive rating in the league however (105.5), which is better than that of the Clippers (fifth, 106.6). The Bucks trump both however, ranking first rating (101.6). So even if the Lakers make it out of the West, which will not be easy because of all of the talent there, the Bucks will likely be waiting, and they are as loaded as ever.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely going to win his second league MVP award, and Khris Middleton is the definition of a second star in how well he fits with Giannis and what the Bucks do. Eric Bledsoe has had his poor showings in the playoffs before, but backup George Hill leads the league in 3-point shooting (48 percent) and is a steady veteran.

The Lopez brothers of Brook and Robin can both now shoot it from deep themselves, while still doing the necessary things closer to the paint to make a real difference. Throw in Donte DiVincenzo, Wesley Matthews, Ersan Ilyasova and Pat Connaughton, and you have yourself a great mix of depth that brings youthful legs and experienced heads.

The Lakers are a below-average 3-point shooting team (17th, 35.5 percent), which when put up against the stifling nature of the Bucks in particular, but also the Clippers, means that they can be nullified from there. This forces James and Davis to go inside to get points to try and win, and while that will work up to a point, you need to vary what you do to go all the way.

Perhaps Smith can make a real difference there, but he would want to be playing like the Smith of old to do so. Which is the real issue the Lakers face here before the playoffs begin. They have the best and most experienced superstar in the world in James, and Davis is capable of being their best player on any night.

But as we’ve seen plenty of times over the last 10 years, and with James as well, you need more than that to win. The Golden State Warriors may not be around anymore, but there are other franchises with a system put in place and the depth to execute it when they need to. How do the Lakers try and match that?