Lakers projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season

Los Angeles Lakers starting small forward: LeBron James

It’s unprecedented that someone entering the 21st season at age 39 can still be one of the 10 best players in the NBA.

Obviously, the Lakers starting small forward is going to be LeBron James. In his 20th season, LeBron averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field.

The one thing that has plagued LeBron every single season in LA besides one is injuries. Most of that had to do with him carrying the burden to do everything for the team. The way this team is currently structured, James won’t need to do everything and can pick and choose his spots during the regular season.

The most important thing for the Lakers is that LeBron is 100 percent healthy for the playoffs.

Primary backup small forward: Taurean Prince

The Lakers have signed two solid backup forwards to play in for LeBron, the first being Taurean Prince. Last season for the Timberwolves, Prince averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, on 47/39/84 splits.

Prince won’t be asked to play any bigger of a role than what he played last season. All the Lakers will ask him to do is make 3s at a consistent clip and play some solid defense. Prince is the perfect guy for this Lakers team because he’ll have a game where he makes six 3s and he is big enough to play from the 2-4 spots in the rotation.

Other players who could receive minutes at small forward: Cam Reddish

The Lakers’ third small forward on the roster is Cam Reddish. Last season, he averaged 9.7 points on 44/31/85 splits. Reddish is going to see a reduced role with LA to start the season because of his trouble shooting the ball. Outside of his shooting, Reddish gives you great hustle in transition, is great at backdoor cuts, and contributes on defense.

The Lakers finally have depth at their small forward spot which they’ve lacked for the last few seasons.