Los Angeles Lakers depth chart and rotation questions: Who’s in the top 9?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The first half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday offered an initial glimpse of Los Angeles’ rotation.

The Lakers used 10 players with nine of them projected to be in the rotation when the season starts on Oct. 22 against Minnesota.

Coach JJ Redick has intentionally set clear expectations with players, particularly with the starting lineup, rotation and roles.

Redick first publicly named the Lakers’ starters on an episode of “The Lowe Post,” choosing the lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis who went 18-6 last season. Among starting lineups to play 20 games together, only the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets’ starting lineups had a better record than that Lakers group.

As for the rest of the rotation, Redick has been more cryptic. He’s stated the Lakers will have a nine-man rotation during the regular season, but with Jarred Vanderbilt (foot surgeries) and Christian Wood (knee surgery) out and still recovering, and young wings Max Christie and Dalton Knecht relatively unproven, there are plenty of question marks.

Here’s the tentative pecking order as things currently stand.

How deep will LA’s rotation go?

Redick’s goal is to play nine players. However, as with most aspects of his coaching, he wants to maintain flexibility.

“I hope you guys know this, like, I’m open-minded to everything,” Redick said about his rotation last week at practice. “I think one of the greatest things that I learned from all of the coaches that I played for that I really appreciated, particularly Coach K, is you always have to be adaptable as a player, as a coach.”

A nine-man rotation sounds great in theory, but unpredictable variables — injuries, foul trouble, shooting slumps — will cause Redick to shrink or expand his bench. For now, though, Redick should be taken at his word, which leaves four open spots among the reserves.

Who’s likely in?

In the first quarter against the Suns, the Lakers used an eight-man rotation, with Christie, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes playing alongside the starters. It’s safe to assume — based on their roles against the Suns and their standing within the team — that those three players will be close to rotational locks moving forward.

Christie has been a standout in training camp and the preseason. The 21-year-old wing has flashed a 3-and-D skill set and has the upside to grow into a large role. It wouldn’t be that surprising to see him average 25-plus minutes and even begin closing games, depending on the matchup.

With Vanderbilt out, he’s the closest thing the Lakers have to a wing-stopper. Christie led Los Angeles in minutes in both preseason games.

“Max is an old soul,” Redick said last week. “He’s wise and he’s mature and he takes this very seriously. And I really appreciate that about him. … He’s gonna be very valuable for us this year.”

Gabe Vincent was the Lakers’ primary offseason addition in 2023 but was held to just 11 games in the regular season because of a knee injury and, eventually, surgery. But now that he’s back, he’s beginning to resemble his Miami Heat self in Redick’s movement-based offense.

“He’s just a natural fit,” Redick said Tuesday at practice. “He guards the ball. He can shoot. He’s a smart player. Someone who has been in big games and you can trust. So he’s a natural fit for our team.

Hayes is the favorite for the backup center spot partly because there is no other feasible option until Wood returns. Nonetheless, Redick has spoken highly of Hayes, who is more similar than Wood to Davis from a skill perspective given his underrated abilities as a dribble handoff threat and short-roll playmaker.

Hayes outplayed Wood as last season progressed, was the primary backup center during the best stretch of Lakers basketball and has a pre-existing relationship with Redick, who played alongside Hayes in New Orleans. Hayes has the edge over Wood, at least for now.

One thing is for certain when it comes to the bench: Redick is leaning toward defensive-minded players. With the starting lineup more offensive-centric, the Lakers need disruptive reserves who can change the dynamic of a game.

“If you look at our starting lineup and their skill sets, a big point of emphasis in September and training camp has been for our bench guys to be disruptive defensively, to pick up full court after makes,” Redick said last week. “They’ve been good with that. We’ll continue to sort of monitor that. But getting a level of commitment on that side of the ball is huge.”

What about the ninth spot?

Redick said there is “definitely some competition for the ninth spot” at the beginning of camp, but it seems as if Knecht is the early favorite (at least while Vanderbilt is out). Knecht’s shooting, off-ball movement and gravity are valuable traits that project to be even more useful in Redick’s offense.

Aside from inexperience, his only drawback is his defense, which was concerning in summer league. In two preseason games, Knecht has been far more focused and engaged, rotating earlier, contesting shots and trying to wrestle bigger players in the paint.

“I talked with him about this, that’s all I’m asking him to do,” Redick said of Knecht’s defensive effort. “If he’s gonna play on this team and play minutes and be in the rotation this year, he knows this, he’s gotta compete defensively.”

Whether Knecht is a fringe rotation player or a fixture will come down to his defensive effort and attention to detail. Redick has said that younger players can’t afford unforced errors given the team’s aspirations. 

And what about when Vanderbilt returns?

Vanderbilt, who had surgery on both feet, is aiming to return by opening night.

But as of Tuesday, Vanderbilt has yet to resume live-action reps, meaning he’d have less than a two-week ramp-up — in the quickest scenario — after several months missed due to surgery. An opening night return for Vanderbilt can’t be ruled out yet, but it seems unlikely he’ll be back by then.

When healthy, Vanderbilt easily projects as one of the Lakers’ top-nine players. He’s arguably their best bench player — or at least their most indispensable — given his defense, size, length and athleticism. He’s important.

Redick acknowledged that Vanderbilt’s return will eventually shake up the rotation.

“We’ll evaluate throughout the preseason,” Redick said of the rotation. “I think that’s the best way to answer. With Vando still coming back from injury, that kind of leaves a question mark a little bit. But we’ve been pleased with the progress and improvement in the last few months from some of our young guys.”

The most likely outcome appears to be Vincent, Christie, Vanderbilt and Hayes comprising the nine-man rotation, with the onus on Knecht to force Redick to expand it to 10 players.

Could anyone else compete for a role?

As things stand, the top 10 in the rotation is clear (in some order): Davis, James, Reaves, Russell, Hachimura, Vanderbilt, Vincent, Christie, Hayes and Knecht. Barring an injury, or unforeseen strides from the players outside that group, those 10 players will form the Lakers’ nine- or 10-man rotation.

But three other players have a shot to earn a role, especially if/when there are injuries: Wood, Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Wood excelled next to Davis last season and is a career 37-percent 3-point shooter. If he can regain his shooting stroke (31 percent on 3s last season), he’s a valuable bench scorer, shooter and rebounder.

Redick is intrigued by double-big lineups that allow Davis to play more power forward, which allows him to switch into perimeter players and function as the last line of defense when Hayes/Wood is pulled into a screen.

“It’s definitely something that we can use in our rotation,” Redick said of a center next to Davis. “What I really like is having AD at the 4 and him being able to be with that switching group while still having some size at the 5 with Jaxson. That part, I like a lot.”

Reddish is the type of disruptive defender whom Redick has alluded to, though his offensive limitations as a shooter, ballhandler and finisher make him a difficult fit for a playoff-level team.

Hood-Schifino, who earned rave reviews in training camp, has looked much more comfortable as a sophomore. His primary issue is he needs the ball to be effective, and he’s so low in the pecking order that the Lakers likely won’t need him unless Reaves or Russell is injured.

(Top photo of Jaxson Hayes: Justin Ford / Getty Images)