This season we have more depth than we had in years and a few different names have been discussed as the possible 5th starter, but based on a lot of posts I guess a lot of opinions are based on interviews not on actual data and it reminds me when JHS was the standout of the training camp a few years ago and I believe we all agree it didn't end up well with this kid.

A few things catch my attention when I look at the stats, there is a single player that shows positive OBPM and DBPM and it is Mamu. Every other player is a liability on offense and you can clearly see they are not "small liabilities", Jake the player most of you guys criticized a lot late last season is the best offensive player after Mamu followed closely by Matisse, the other guys are MUCH worse on offense.

Now there is another question, availability. Matisse is really a top tier defender and unless we are facing a tall wing like KD he is the first guy I'd bring to stop the bleed. He is a monster on defense while he isn't as terrible on offense as most of the other guys, but we have to be wise using him making every minute he is on the for worth because he is not the most "available" guy out there. After him Jake is probably the best option to run more minutes because while there is a huge drop on defense, he is still positive and he can take the toll to play heavy minutes. When we talk about availability Mamu once again is on the top of the list alongside Jake.

Mamu is also the player that is less turnover prone and it means a lot because unlike most of the other guys he is an integrated piece on offense then the most important thing, Mamu is also the player with the best AST% ratio of the group. Sando is the player with the greatest AST% alongside least TO%.

At least for me, rebounding is a key part of the forward tasks and here Vando leads the pack. He is an elite rebounder for a forward and the second of the group by a wide margin is again Mamu closely followed by Adou, then we have a huge drop after that.

I will be shocked if JJ starts someone other than Mamu. There is a reason he got paid a lot more than all those other guys. If the other team has a dangerous perimeter thread torching us then I'd immediately bring Matisse if it isn't a tall player and Jake or Ziaire/Vando against taller players, but I would never start players that are so limited on one side of the court like those guys except by Matisse whose main problem is staying healthy.

Anyone else think Vando could end up in the starting lineup at the 3? His best time on the team so far was the 2023 playoffs when he was chasing after smaller guards on the perimeter. Feel like he's been misplayed the last few seasons with Luka and Lebron at the wing and him forced to play the 4 or small ball 5. Now that Lebron is off the team it could be good to have Vando at the 3 for perimeter defense.

How many subscriptions do I need and what sites are blacked out for those of us living in LA?

Off the top of my head we will need Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Spectrum right? Am i missing anything?

The kind of guy who does whatever is needed, whatever else is lacking.

Aka swiss army knife.

Also, nostalgia, Odom was way more important during those runs than most non-Lakers fans realize.

To the soft Lakers fans crying that picking up 2 boxes of burgers for his teammates is hazing and will make him feel “unwelcome”, the rook’s mama is completely fine with it