In the span of 12 months, the Los Angeles Lakers have transformed their personnel and created a great roster. Unlike the roster they had to start the 2023 season, this group actually makes sense around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They have shooting, scoring, playmaking, defense, and finishers from top to bottom.
After filling out the roster it is easy to say that the Lakers expect to be championship contenders this year. Everything depends on whether or not LeBron James and Anthony Davis are able to stay healthy.
With that being said, even the best teams in the NBA are always looking for ways to get better to increase their odds of winning a championship. The Lakers are no different. They will look for potential trade partners to get better so they can win another ring.
Every team has players that are untouchable and touchable. It is more than obvious for the Lakers that LeBron James is the only player on the roster that is 100 percent untouchable. Here are four more players that the Lakers might consider to be untouchable.
4 untouchable Lakers besides LeBron James: 4. Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt is a name many of you probably didn't expect to see on here but, he is one of the most important players on the Lakers roster. He was a part of the Russell Westbrook three-team trade last season and played 26 games for the Lakers.
What made Vanderbilt so valuable to the Lakers was that in those 26 games, he was the Lakers' second-best defender behind only defensive monster Davis. With Vanderbilt bringing a new defensive energy to the Lakers, they were the best defensive team in basketball for those last 26 games.
Even though Vanderbilt is a great defensive energizer, his energy also contributes to the offensive side of the ball. He is always running in transition for easy layups, the turnovers he causes through his defense lead to easy transition points and his hustle on the boards can lead to second-chance points.
Outside of his great energy, Vanderbilt is a liability at times because he can't shoot that well but he is still a very important piece to this Lakers team. He played a huge part in them making the Western Conference Finals and the Lakers would be fools to trade him.
4 untouchable Lakers besides LeBron James: 3. Rui Hachimura
Rui Hachimura was another player who was acquired midseason last year for the Lakers, in a trade that sent him to the Lakers and the Wizards received Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks.
Hachimura played 33 regular season games for the Lakers last season and he averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds on 49/30/72 shooting splits, mainly coming off the bench. He proved himself to be a valuable asset to the Lakers in the postseason where he averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds but with scorching efficiency, shooting 57 percent from the field, 49 percent from 3, and 88 percent from the free-throw line.
Hachimura's performance in the playoffs brought light to the Lakers of the type of player he could be. He can be an ultra efficient scorer off the bench and spark plug for when the Lakers are struggling. Those types of players are so valuable to a championship team.
Hachimura is 6-foot-8, 230 lbs with a wingspan that's 7-foot-2. His ability to shoot at his size makes him a very trustable player alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His size also allows him to be a disruptor on the defensive side of the ball as well.
The beauty of Hachimura is that he is essentially the exact opposite of Jarred Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is a defensive energizer while Hachimura is the offensive energizer off the bench. When Vanderbilt's lack of offensive ability starts to hurt the Lakers then they go sub in Hachimura to change the tide.
4 untouchable Lakers besides LeBron James: 2. Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves went from an undrafted player in the 2021 NBA draft to one of the best players on the Lakers. Last season Reaves averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 53/40/86 shooting splits. He was so efficient, that he finished fourth in the league in true shooting percentage.
Reaves was mainly a really good role player for the majority of last season but where he showed he could be a star for the Lakers was after the Russell Westbrook trade and the playoffs. In the last 27 games of the season, he averaged 16.5 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists on 58/46/84 shooting splits. He started the last 10 games of that stretch and as a starter, he averaged 18.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists on 57/49/90 shooting splits.
When the postseason came around he was just as spectacular as he was closing out the season. In the playoffs, Reaves averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, on 46/44/90 shooting splits. In the Western Conference Finals, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, on 55/56/100 shooting splits.
His performance to close out the season and in the postseason convinced the Lakers that they had to bring him back at all costs. Luckily for them, no other team offered him a contract so they brought him back on a bargain.
Reaves can do everything. He can shoot at a high level, score at an efficient level, is a good playmaker, and solid defender. He is the perfect guard and third star for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He can take on the scoring load if one of them doesn't have it that night and is another secondary playmaker next to LeBron James.
The Lakers would not be in a position to compete for a championship this year if they and LeBron James didn't believe in Austin Reaves and his ability to be a third star. It is safe to say that the Lakers consider him to be untouchable.
4 untouchable Lakers besides LeBron James: 1. Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is without question an untouchable player for the Lakers because he is the most important player for the Lakers. LeBron James may still be the best player but the Lakers played as well as Anthony Davis played last season.
Last season Anthony Davis had his best season with the Lakers, averaging 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 2 blocks on 56/26/78 shooting splits. In the postseason, he was inconsistent on the offensive side where he averaged 22.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.1 blocks on 52/33/85 shooting splits.
When Anthony Davis is fully healthy and plays to his ability, he can make a legitimate case of being the best player in the NBA. Davis is one of very few players in the league who can give you 30 points and 15 rebounds while also being in the conversation for the best defender in the NBA.
He is in the conversation for the best two-way player in the NBA and the Lakers desperately need him in order to win a championship. The only issue that the Lakers suffer from him is his injury history which has cost the Lakers many games over the last three seasons.
Davis has played in 194 games out of a potential 307 with the Lakers and over the last three seasons, he has played in 132 games out of 236. For a talent as good as Anthony Davis. it really hurts your team when you're not able to be out on the court.
With that being said, Anthony Davis is still the most important piece on the Lakers. Without Davis the Lakers would not reach their potential on both sides of the ball. There is no way the Lakers would move him in a deal for this upcoming season.
