Lakers 2023-24 Training Camp Preview: Forwards and Bigs – NBA.com

With training camp on the horizon, the Lakers are looking to build on a successful 2022-23 season that saw them make a run to the Conference Finals by taking the next step forward as a contender for the championship. And after an offseason that offered both continuity and brought reinforcements to the core of their roster, the team is well positioned to do just that.
In part one of our 2023-24 training camp preview, we looked at guards and wings. In part two we dive into the forwards and bigs, with a closer examination of potential camp battles and x-factors from this positional group.
PLAYERS
Anthony Davis, F/C: In 56 regular season appearances and 16 playoff games, Davis reiterated what he’s been for a decade — one of the most dominant players in the league who can compete for the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year award. Entering his 12th season, he looks primed to replicate those efforts and again lead the Lakers on a deep playoff run.
Rui Hachimura, F: After a mid-season trade brought him to Los Angeles from Washington, Hachimura cemented his status as a key rotation player and then raised his game in the postseason to help the Lakers advance to the Conference Finals. After re-signing as a free agent this summer, he will look to build on that success and take the next step in his career.
Jaxson Hayes, C/F: A former lottery pick who found himself in the middle of a crowded big man rotation in New Orleans, Hayes enters his first training camp with the Lakers hungry to compete for a rotation spot as the primary backup at center to Davis, and someone who can play next to him in multiple-big lineups.
LeBron James, F: Coming off an unprecedented 20th campaign that saw him become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer while also making Third Team All-NBA, James enters his 21st season with nothing to prove, but hungry to win his 5th championship.
Jarred Vanderbilt, F: Like Hachimura, Vanderbilt’s mid-season arrival by trade sparked life into the Lakers roster and helped propel them towards the playoffs. Vanderbilt’s brand of hard-nosed defense and high-motor offensive approach are a great complement to the team’s superstars.
Christian Wood, F: As one the game’s most offensively talented and rangy big men, Wood brings scoring punch and lineup versatility to the Lakers from Dallas.
POTENTIAL CAMP BATTLES
The Lakers offer one of the deepest and most talented front court rotations in the league and with that will come much jockeying for minutes and a solid rotation role. The nature of an 82-game season and the general rigors of the NBA mean that opportunities to make an impact and earn a stable role will be there for everyone, and with it the chance to make your mark.
There are two potential camp battles to watch for, one of two newcomers and the other from two players carrying forward from last season.
First is the battle for minutes as the primary backup to Anthony Davis. Davis comes into the year slotted as the team’s starting center, but behind him there are minutes for the taking and both Wood and Hayes offer up differing skill sets to fill that role.
Wood offers tantalizing offensive production as both a floor spacer and an interior threat. Wood has hit 37.9% of his three-pointers and is only a season removed from shooting 39% on nearly five attempts per game from deep in his final season with the Rockets. Further, Wood has not shot under 57% on two-pointers since his rookie season and shown strong ability to attack closeouts off the dribble, create out of isolation, score from the post, or get downhill as a dive-man in the pick-and-roll to finish at the basket.
If Wood can maintain his offensive efficiency while also fitting into the team’s demands defensively and on the backboards, he has a terrific opportunity to play a big role in Coach Ham’s gameplan.
Hayes, meanwhile, offers a much more traditional and conventional approach as a big man offensively, serving mostly as a vertical spacer and interior finisher offensively. Hayes has only attempted 104 shots from behind the arc in his four NBA seasons thus far (making 30, 28.8%), but can be a dynamic finisher in the paint both in the half court and in transition. Hayes has shot 62.2% from the field for his career, with most of those baskets coming in the paint — including last season where 45 of his 86 made field goals were dunks.
For Coach Ham, then, the diversity of skill sets offers different tools for different situations and it should not surprise if he leverages these differences to best advantage his team.
The other potential camp battle looming is for the other starting forward position next to LeBron and Davis, with Hachimura and Vanderbilt both having an opportunity to claim the spot.
Last season it was Vanderbilt who was almost exclusively placed into the starting group, with his on-ball defense and general activity level on both sides of the ball offering strong contributions to the team’s overall success. This season, little has changed for how Vanderbilt can be used, and his ability to be deployed defensively on a variety of distinct types of players while bringing a low-usage and team focused approach offensively offers balance to a starting group that will include James, Davis, and Austin Reaves.
If Vanderbilt can continue to make strides as a shooter while maintaining his presence as a screener, passer, and offensive rebounder, he can fit right into a starting group that benefits from his defensive tenacity.
As for Hachimura, though he started in just 10 of his combined 49 regular season and playoff appearances last season, one of those starts came in Game 4 vs. the Nuggets in the Conference Finals, which built on his growing role as that series progressed. Rui’s a much more natural fit next to LeBron and AD than he’s given credit for, proving himself as great transition player in the open court, but also as a release valve who can hit spot up jumpers, attack closeouts, and attack in isolation both off the dribble and in the post in halfcourt sets.
This bears out in the numbers, too. During the regular season, the Lakers posted a +9.3 net rating when Rui shared the floor with James and Davis. In the playoffs, that number went down some, but was still a +6.6, which, when accounting for the higher level of competition, is still a very strong number.
Having multiple qualified options is never a bad thing. Quality depth is not just desirable for coaches, it is a necessity if the goal is to win at a high level. And while navigating these questions could be interpreted as a challenge, it is one that most coaches would love to have to manage rather than not.
X-FACTORS
While there are many potential regular season x-factors that will play out as the team gets to opening night and works its way through the regular season, as training camp approaches there is one player whose potential performance lands him in the spotlight.
Christian Wood’s talent and skill level are well known around the NBA. His scoring prowess and ability to be a matchup buster has established him as a challenging offensive player to account for when building out a defensive game plan. That said, Wood has had most of this success as either a primary option or as someone who was an integral part of his team’s offensive structure whenever he was on the floor.
On the Lakers, in situations with everyone available, Wood is more likely to find himself in lineups with at least one of LeBron or AD, and some combination of D’Angelo Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent. Any of those potential lineup combinations bring a collective ball handling and shot creation ability that can slot Wood into the type of role that he’s not played on recent teams. And, if this is the case, his ability to maintain his effectiveness in situations where his usage or overall position in the pecking order go down will be a key determinant of his success.
Additionally, there will be defensive asks made of Wood that may differ from other teams he has been on. A key driver of the Lakers run to the playoffs last season was their #2 ranked defense post trade deadline. And while the team’s offense projects to be better than it was during that same stretch (14th overall), and, potentially then not requiring the defense to be as strong to still win games, any team that expects to win the championship will need to have a strong defensive identity and culture. This is especially true for Coach Ham.
Wood, then, will need to fit into that culture and meet the demands of the defensive asks made of a big man in this scheme. Coach Ham could find ways tweak the X’s and O’s of what those asks are, but buy-in and execution of whatever those asks are will be important for every player, Wood included.
However, if Wood can meet those defensive demands and find his groove offensively on a roster with as much talent and potential diversity of who does what on any given possession, the upside of what his talent and skill level provides can be enormous. And if that is the case, the Lakers can transform even further and take that next step towards contender status by riding the wave of their accumulated talent.
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