NBA Fantasy Team Analysis: The Los Angeles Lakers

With a new head coach who apparently has plans to speed up the offense and utilize the team’s two big men more, it’s very possible that the Los Angeles Lakers are in for something of an adjustment. Of course, they still have an alpha dog to appease, which could mean endless hours spent by TV pundits discussing real or imagined tension. Regardless, fantasy owners can rest assured that the value on the Lakers remains with the four usual suspects. In what degree their values will change, however, is up for speculation.

Depth chart:
PG: Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, Andrew Goudelock
SG: Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown*, Darius Morris, Trey Johnson
SF: Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, Luke Walton, Devin Ebanks
PF: Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derrick Caracter, Joe Smith*, Ater Majok
C: Andrew Bynum, Theo Ratliff*

* unrestricted free agent

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft positions/per-game stats:
– Pau Gasol, PF/C (Rd. 1): 50% FG, 80% FT, 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 3.3 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 1.7 Blk, 2 TO
– Kobe Bryant, SG (Rd. 2): 45% FG, 85% FT, 1.5 Threes, 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 4.5 Ast, 1.3 Stl, 3 TO
– Lamar Odom, SF/PF (Rd. 6): 48% FG, 67% FT, 0.7 Threes, 15 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 3 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 0.7 Blk, 2 TO
– Andrew Bynum, C (Rd. 7): 55% FG, 70% FT, 12.5 Pts, 10 Reb, 1.5 Ast, 0.5 Stl, 2 Blk, 1.5 TO

Sleeper:
Blake

Most likely to surprise:
Odom

Most likely to disappoint:
Bynum

Category specialists:
– Threes: Bryant
– Blocks: Bynum, Gasol

Things to consider:
– how coach Mike Brown‘s plans actually play out and if Bryant plays along
– what becomes of inevitable trade rumors
– Bynum’s health
– drafting World Peace in the last round just for giggles

Team’s statistical NBA ranks from 2010-11:
– Pts: 9th
– FGM: 10th
– FGA: T-11th
– FG%: 11th
– FT%: 7th
– 3PTM: 12th
– Reb: 3rd
– Ast: T-12th
– TO: 5th
– Stl: T-14th
– Blk: 10th
– Pace: T-19th
– Offensive Efficiency: 7th
– Defensive Efficiency: 6th