Power Ranking Lakers' Roster Based on Regular-Season Performance

The 2023-24 NBA season hasn't gone exactly according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they could be hitting their stride at the right time.

And they have a number of different players to thank (and blame) for all of the above.

To dig deeper into the story of this Lakers' season, we'll power rank all 18 players on the current roster based on their performance to this point.

18. Harry Giles III

Of the Lakers' three two-way contract recipients, Giles got his deal the latest (he signed in March) and has not surprisingly seen the least amount of action. The 25-year-old former top prospect has logged just 17 minutes over six outings.

17. Maxwell Lewis

L.A. is invested in Lewis, having traded for him on draft night and then signing him to a four-year standard pact with the first two seasons guaranteed. Hopefully, the Lakers are committed to him for the long haul (or at least the medium haul), then, because the 21-year-old needs plenty of polish. His efficiency has been lacking even at the G League level.

16. Skylar Mays

Mays has made 14 appearances spanning 71 minutes since inking his two-way contract in January. He has looked good in that limited action, too, shooting 50 percent from the field, hitting two of his five long-range looks and tallying nine assists against just two turnovers.

15. Colin Castleton

Castleton is the team's only two-way player whose deal got done last offseason. The 6'11", 250-pounder shines brighter for his floor than his ceiling, and he looked rock-solid in the G League and seemingly competent in limited NBA action before fracturing his wrist in late February.

14. Jalen Hood-Schifino

Last summer's No. 17 pick, Hood-Schifino posted strong numbers in the G League but forgettable ones during his limited run at the NBA level, where he saw just 109 minutes over 21 games. He dealt with his share of injuries along the way, including a back ailment that necessitated a lumbar microdiscectomy in March.

13. Gabe Vincent

If grading Vincent's season, he'd likely land an incomplete, as a knee problem has limited him to just six games to this point. His three-ball hasn't shown up (2-of-19), but his defense and distributing (16 assists against three giveaways) both have.

12. Jaxson Hayes

Hayes plays with tons of energy and possesses tremendous bounce, but outside of scoring efficiency (70.3 field-goal percentage), his stat sheet is pretty lacking. Even using his per-36-minutes averages only gets him to 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, per Basketball-Reference.

11. Cam Reddish

Internally, the Lakers might rank Reddish higher, seeing as how they've made him their seventh-most utilized player by minutes (961) and starts (26). Still, his offense has been mostly abysmal (39/33.3/75.9 shooting slash with 1.0 assists against 0.7 turnovers), and his defensive impact hasn't lived up to the hype.

10. Christian Wood

Wood's bargain potential never panned out, as his scoring and shooting rates were both way down before knee surgery forced him off the floor. It's at least worth mentioning, though, that he basically managed a break-even net differential (minus-0.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com).

9. Max Christie

Hopes for Christie's breakout campaign have yet to be realized, but his energy, defense and shot-making have all been moderately helpful. He hasn't quite cemented his spot as a rotation regular, and he also hasn't forced that issue by declining as a long-distance shooter (36.5 percent, down from 41.9 last season).

8. Spencer Dinwiddie

A buyout market addition, Dinwiddie hasn't made much of a dent with his scoring (6.4 points on 38.1 percent shooting), but he has made his presence felt as a playmaker (2.5 assists against 1.1 turnovers) and a surprisingly reliable perimeter shooter (26-of-70, 37.1 percent).

7. Jarred Vanderbilt

Injuries have limited Vanderbilt to just 29 games, which is a huge bummer since his unique combination of point-of-attack defense, rebounding and athleticism stand out on this roster. And while his shooting limitations are a real concern come playoff time, they're easier to manage in the regular season.

6. Taurean Prince

There isn't much flash in Prince's game, but his ability (and willingness) to play a specific three-and-D role has made him an indispensable piece of this roster. He is one of only three Lakers to hit 100-plus threes while shooting above 37 percent from deep.

5. Rui Hachimura

Hachimura has looked an awful lot like the player who proved so helpful to the Purple and Gold last postseason, while improving his three-point shot (42.2 percent) and his overall consistency. The Lakers really didn't hit their stride until coach Darvin Ham locked Hachimura into the starting lineup.

4. Austin Reaves

In a perfect world, Reaves would have fully broken out this season and held Big Three status alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In reality, Reaves has played more like a high-end role player than a budding star—though there are still some star-like flashes—while seeing his percentages from the field (48.5) and from three (36.3) fall back from where they were last season (52.9 and 39.8, respectively).

3. D'Angelo Russell

Russell, a one-time No. 2 pick (of this very franchise) and former All-Star, might be authoring the strongest season of his career. He's had louder numbers before than his current per-game contributions of 18.2 points and 6.4 assists, but they've never featured this type of efficiency (46/42.1/81.7) or carried this level of impact (plus-5.3 net differential).

2. LeBron James

This season may not be remembered as an official torch-passing, and many will argue James still holds the top spot. There's a statistical case to be made—among season-long Lakers, he easily has the highest net differential—but some of what James brings as a scorer and table-setter can be replicated by others on the roster. The Lakers just don't have another interior presence or defender like Davis.

1. Anthony Davis

Putting Davis in the top spot could be controversial, but if you think of this more as a 1A-1B pairing, it might be easier to digest. While James has the edge in many stat categories, Davis is the high man in games and minutes, and his rebounds (12.7) and blocks (2.4) are things L.A. can't find from anyone else.