The Los Angeles Lakers have three bona fide starters in LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis. But there’s still a lot to figure out when it comes to their rotation and who actually starts alongside their three superstars.
Kent Bazemore is one of the candidates for the job. With veteran Trevor Ariza out of commission for the Lakers, and other candidates like Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, and Talen Horton-Tucker more effective on the ball, Bazemore’s skillset as a 3-and-D role player might be the best fit.
Bazemore was asked about the possibility of being a Lakers starter. But instead of declaring himself ready for the job, he was candid that there’s he’s still trying to pick things up.
“I’m still figuring things out,” he said. “We’ve had injuries, we’ve had coaches been experimenting with lineups.. I’m just out there trying to figure it out. A lot of times I’m. out there watching myself on film and it’s kind of like a deer in the headlights just trying to read these guys on the team Russ, Bron, AD.
After trying him off the bench during the Lakers’ first preseason game, Frank Vogel has opted to start Kent Bazemore in their final five contests. There’s a decent chance he manages to land the role, but he’s definitely not resting on his laurels.
“The most simplest I can put it is like having a new job. This is my fourth team in three seasons. Playbooks, personnel.. It’s been a lot of moving parts around me. Pushing a little bit of an identity crisis sometimes. I’ve been trying to climb out of that and trying to figure things out. The energy and effort is there which is what I’ve been focused on, the conditioning and how the body’s holding up. All that stuff will come in due time.”
The Lakers still have a handful of decisions to make come opening night. There’s a good chance the lineup they go with to start the season will look drastically different from what it does for Game 82.
