Los Angeles Lakers 2023-24 Predicted Finish, Key Acquisitions & Fantasy Stars

The Lakers are fresh off a roller-coaster year in which several trade deadline swings saw them become the first team in nearly two decades to recover from a 2-10 start to finish with a winning record before being swept by the eventual champion Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. With head coach Darvin Ham having survived his rookie season and several offseason additions looking to leave their mark, the team will be eager to close the gap on Denver and build off their pair of playoff series wins a year ago. In these previews, we will take a look at each team’s key acquisitions, fantasy stars, and projected finish.

Key Acquisitions

The Lakers are in the midst of perhaps their calmest offseason since the start of the LeBron Era with the front office bringing back several of their core players on reasonable deals and adding talent elsewhere.

They brought back Austin Reaves on a four-year, $53.8 million deal which, thanks to the nature of restricted free agency, was far below his market value whilst also re-upping D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt on multi-year contracts.

They handed Gabe Vincent a three-year, $33 million deal whilst also adding the likes of Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes on team-friendly agreements.

They also drafted Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino with their first round pick – their first since 2018 – and Pepperdine’s Max Lewis with their second rounder.

Vincent is fresh off a playoff run with the Heat in which he averaged 12.7 ppg shooting 37.8 per cent on 6.1 threes nightly and likely fills the void left by the departure of Dennis Schröder.

Wood, meanwhile, joins the team on a minimum deal after departing the Mavs in rocky fashion and offers the Lakers a talented inside-outside scoring threat to back-up or partner Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

Over the past three seasons, the now 28-year-old has put up 18.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg shooting 38.1 per cent on 4.7 threes per game.

Prince, on the other hand, brings a welcome toughness to plug into the team’s wing rotation to go along with sound three-point shooting – 37.2 per cent on 4.4 average attempts for his career.

Fantasy Stars

The past half-decade in LA has been characterised by dynamic duo Anthony Davis (13th overall, 4th PF/4th C) and LeBron James (28th overall, 10th SF/10th PF).

Whilst availability has proven a concern for both men in recent seasons, there is no denying the firepower when they are on the floor, particularly when they share it.

Davis last season averaged 25.9 ppg, 12.5 rpg, and 2.0 bpg on 62.7 TS% in 56 games whilst James put up 28.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 6.8 apg in what was his 20th year in the association.

Projected Finish

Expectations heading into the season are high in The City of Angels and rightly so thanks to a level of roster continuity meshed with several offseason upgrades.

The ever-present disclaimer surrounding James’ and Davis’ health still exists but the postseason emergence of Reaves and Hachimura coupled with improved and dynamic depth should set the Lakers up for a smoother regular season.

After punching their ticket to the playoffs with a hard-fought play-in victory a year ago, Ham’s squad will be desperate to avoid that route this time around and will look to jostle with the heavyweights atop the conference throughout the season.

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