Inside + forward guards strengthen! How far will the Lakers go in the new season?

The Lakers completed targeted reinforcements during the offseason. Without using valuable draft picks, they successfully signed three players, forward scorer Jack Laravia, inside Ayton and defender Marcus Smart. The three signings improved the team's lineup depth and tactical flexibility.

The Lakers' expected starting lineup will be composed of Doncic, Reeves, James, Hachimura Jue and Ayton. This lineup has offensive firepower and inside height, and defense is unknown. As the absolute core of the team, Doncic's organizational and personal scoring ability is the engine of the Lakers' offense, and he averaged 8.7 potential assists per game last season. Ayton's joining is crucial and requires taking on both offense and defense responsibilities in the interior to fill Davis' disadvantages after leaving the team. The ability to pick and roll at high positions and the ability to shoot mid-range shots are the most anticipated, which is also the ability that the inside line lacks the most last season. The strengthening of the bench is the highlight of the Lakers' operations this summer. After Finney Smith's transfer, he won Smart and Laravia in succession. As the best defensive player of the year, Smart has improved the Lakers' defensive intensity on the outside, and his career counterattack can limit his opponent's shooting percentage to 41.2%. Can provide defense in the second team and serve as a ball point. As a shooter with a three-point shooting percentage of 37.1%, Laravia will play the role of a 3D player, and the outside threat can open up space for Doncic and James' breakthroughs.

Compared with last season, the main differences and improvements of the Lakers' new lineup are:

1, defensive changes, players such as Smart and Vanderbilt, the Lakers have multiple reliable defensive points on the outside to better deal with defenders.

2. New hope for the inside, Ayton's arrival has brought more possibilities to the Lakers' inside, because Doncic can improve his strength to a higher level, and this level determines how much the Lakers' inside can improve. The

team is expected to adopt a 10-person regular rotation, which is a big improvement compared to last season, helping to cope with the long regular season and reducing the consumption of main players. Can Ayton prove that he can output stably, in line with expected frame protection and rebound protection. The average age of the team is not young, and how to maintain health, especially the health of core players, will be a key issue. Both Doncic and James need the ball rights. How to balance the ball-holding time of the two core players and allow new players to efficiently integrate into the system is a test for the coaching staff.

Lakes' lineup last season was third in the Western Conference in the regular season, and the playoffs were stopped in the first round. The new lineup has improved its strength on paper compared to last season's lineup and has also the ability to playoffs. The ultimate height of the team depends largely on the degree of integration of new players and the team's health. There is also an unknown factor that is whether the lineup will be changed again before the trade deadline.

Lakers management did not use future first-round draft picks during the offseason, and won three players in the buyout market and free market. Pelinka retained more operational space for the team before the trading deadline. Some teams with poor performance in the middle of the season will have plans for next year, so the Lakers' expiration contract players will be an important bargaining chip in the trading market, and the expiration contract + the future first round is very attractive. At that time, the Lakers' lineup may still be adjusted based on actual performance. The 2025-26 Lakers' 2025-26 lineup has been enhanced in depth, defense and offensive diversity through offseason operations. New players Smart, Laravia and Ayton can theoretically make up for some of the shortcomings of last season in a targeted manner. However, the success of the team will ultimately depend on the chemistry between players, the health of key players, and whether Ayton can really take the lead in the inside. The Lakers are worth looking forward to in the new season, but they also need to overcome many challenges to achieve higher goals.