Los Angeles Lakers: 3 questions looming large as the postseason nears

What is the rotation going to look like?

With Avery Bradley opting out of the restart, Rajon Rondo expected to miss significant time with injury, and the new additions of J.R. Smith along with Dion Waiters, the Los Angeles Lakers had some roster issues to address before play began.

It appears that head coach Frank Vogel is still trying to figure things out, as he sat the trio of Dion Waiters, J.R. Smith, and Markieff Morris in favor of Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker Saturday night. With Waiters, Smith, and Morris being fairly new additions to the team, it would make sense to play them before the postseason to integrate them as much as possible, given they will be the ones on the floor most likely.

If this were a precautionary move, fine. However, Vogel recently told reporters that he sees Horton-Tucker as a potential rotational piece moving forward. Transcribed by SB Nation’s Christian Rivas:

"“He continues to surprise me and impress me, and he’s making a case for being in the rotation, with just the way he’s performed this whole restart,” Vogel said. “[He] has really come along. He played really strong, looked really comfortable against a very good team tonight, and continues to make a case.”"

Could the rookie shooting guard genuinely receive playing time over the veteran Smith or Waiters? The rotation will have to stiffen once the postseason begins, but right now, it appears that Vogel is still trying to determine who fits best where. With the Western Conference’s top seed already clinched, this is by no means reason to panic, but with the postseason quickly approaching, Vogel has some decisions to make sooner than later.