Lakers Roster Deeper in 2026-27 Despite Talent Departures, Analysis Suggests
The Los Angeles Lakers have rebuilt their roster with complementary skills, aiming for greater depth around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Despite losing significant talent and experience, the Los Angeles Lakers' 2026-27 roster is constructed to be deeper and more complementary to their star guards, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, than the previous season.
The team's offseason objectives included acquiring a rim-protecting big man, which they addressed with the acquisition of Walker Kessler. They also aimed to secure a secondary star capable of playing alongside Doncic and leading the team in his absence, a need fulfilled by retaining Austin Reaves. A key goal was to build a deeper roster that better complements Doncic's playstyle.
While the departures of LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, and Luke Kennard represent a significant loss of talent and experience, the Lakers have focused on adding players with specific complementary skills. Players like Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Collin Sexton are expected to contribute to ball-handling, passing, and shooting. Matisse Thybulle and Ziarie Williams are noted for their defensive contributions.
Kessler is anticipated to be a foundational piece for an improved Lakers defense. Although the team lost key three-point shooters in Hachimura and Kennard, they have added shooting capabilities with Kessler and Mamukelashvili at the forward positions. This floor-spacing is expected to benefit athletic forwards such as Jarred Vanderbilt and Adou Thiero.
The analysis suggests that the Lakers have increased their number of reliable rotation players from approximately 10 to at least 12. While the top-end talent may not reach the heights of LeBron James's contributions in the 2025-26 season, the team's overall depth and the specific skills brought in are seen as a necessary improvement for the roster surrounding Doncic and Reaves.