The Los Angeles Lakers look to be one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA with plenty of new pieces as well as young players already on the roster who could make a leap this season.
The starting lineup for the Lakers seems to be pretty much set as Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and Brook Lopez are expected to be the first five. However, the rest of the spots in the rotation are up for grabs.
One player fighting for a regular spot in the rotation is veteran Corey Brewer. In an interview with Rodrigo Azurmendi of Lakers Espanol, Brewer sounded excited about the competition that will be taking place in training camp:
“It’s going to be crazy,” he said, unable to hide his enthusiasm. “There will be a lot of competition, and that’s what basketball is all about. It is good to have competition in a young team, that all have to fight to earn it. Everyone in LA is very excited and there are expectations (high). They are ready to see good basketball. I’m not saying we’ll be the best, but we’ll be very good.”
Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. are likely to get big minutes off the bench for the Lakers, but beyond that anyone could find themselves in the rotation with a good camp and preseason. Brewer and rookie Josh Hart are both vying for backup wing minutes while Kyle Kuzma and Luol Deng, both better suited as power forwards, could also play small forward and get minutes there.
In addition, Tyler Ennis and Ivica Zubac will be looking to lock down regular minutes as the back-up point guard and center respectively. Of course, with so many versatile players, head coach Luke Walton could go in any number of directions depending on who he wants to get on the floor.
Add in the competition for the final roster spot between Vander Blue, Briante Weber, Stephen Zimmerman, and V.J. Beachem and there will be plenty of battles for Walton to keep an eye on once training camp kicks off.