NBA Pacific Division Rotation and Roster Battles

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertOctober 09, 2024
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#nba #pacific division #golden state warriors #la clippers #los angeles lakers #phoenix suns #sacramento kings
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NBA teams are fully in preseason mode, with the regular season less than two weeks away.

NBA preseason doesn’t come with the excitement of NFL camp or MLB preseason. Nor does it come with the competition for roster spots. Smaller rosters and more guaranteed money mean that NBA squads are generally set when camp opens.

However, all across the league battles for rotation spots are playing out out. Incumbents are trying to hold off newcomers. Young players are trying to break through. Vets are trying to hang on for one more season. In some cases, there are roster spots up for grabs too.

We’re going to going team by team and look some of the most interesting battles to monitor as we close in on the regular season. We previously covered the Southwest Division and Northwest Division. Next up are the Pacific Division teams!

Golden State Warriors

Frontcourt Rotation

Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins seem pretty set to start in the Golden State frontcourt. Behind them, things are a bit more unsettled. Also, should that trio be the starting group?

Trayce Jackson-Davis’ strong rookie season should have him in line for regular minutes at the five. Kevon Looney is still around as a physical, veteran presence, but his play slipped greatly last season. Kyle Anderson was signed as a do-it-all bench forward. He’ll play a big role with his ballhandling and passing in the Warriors motion system.

That’s about it for frontcourt options for Steve Kerr. Quentin Post is an interesting player on a two-way contract. He’s got the most size on the roster. But Post probably isn’t contributing a whole lot this season.

As for who should start, in order to put their best five on the floor, the Warriors probably need to run with a Green, Kuminga, Wiggins frontcourt. Green can certainly play the five, but asking him to do it all the time is a lot. Kuminga himself said his best position is small forward. Wiggins has been up and down production-wise and in and out availability-wise over the last couple of seasons. At least one of the backups is going to be needed for big minutes this season. Kerr getting this spot right may be the difference between a playoff spot and another trip to the Play-In Tournament.

LA Clippers

Forward Rotation

The Clippers couldn’t replace Paul George straight up, so they took the Moneyball approach of trying to replace George in the aggregate. Nic Batum came back, while Derrick Jones Jr. were signed for the frontcourt. Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter were brought in for the backcourt.

George’s role was pretty dynamic for LA. He’d play anywhere from the two to the four, depending on lineup constructions and who else was available that night. With a bunch of guard options, it’s the forward minutes where the Clippers need to replace George’s production most.

Jones or Batum will start next to Kawhi Leonard (and possibly both will start if Leonard is out to open the season). The other one will anchor the bench forward group. Behind them, Terance Mann and Amir Coffey can both play the three. Depth at the four remains an issue, so Ty Lue will continue to mix and match with small-ball options around Jones and Batum.

Keep an eye on Kobe Brown. The second-year forward looks better prepared for the NBA season this year. If Brown could break through, he’d give Lue another option, and a player with a bit more size than the team’s other forward options.

Los Angeles Lakers

Center Rotation

The Lakers have Anthony Davis as their starting center. That’s pretty great!

Behind Davis, Jaxson Hayes was pretty solid last season. He didn’t play a lot, but Hayes finished well around the rim, got on the glass and blocked shots at a decent clip. Hayes is a solid enough backup five.

Beyond those two, the Lakers have…a lot of questions.

Los Angeles was likely looking for bounce-back seasons from Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood for additional big man depth. However, both Vanderbilt and Wood are starting out the season recovering from surgeries. It’s unknown when either will be able to contribute.

That leaves the Lakers looking at two-way centers Colin Castleton and, hopefully, Christian Koloko for minutes behind Davis and Hayes. Castleton did a nice job in the G League last season. He may be ready for an NBA shot, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Koloko had a promising rookie year with the Toronto Raptors, but he missed all of last season while dealing with blood clots. If fully cleared, Koloko could provide some rebounding and rim protection.

Without a trade, Los Angeles is going to have to piece together some minutes if Davis and Hayes can’t cover the full 48 at center. The Lakers don’t have great small-ball options, but may need to lean on LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in small lineups for at least a handful of minutes per night. And, of course, there’s always the chance this gets solved via a trade at some point this season.

Phoenix Suns

Perimeter Rotation

Phoenix has a lot of talent, just like last season. The good news is that the roster seems a bit more balanced this year, as they brought in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris to handle the point guard minutes. However, with real floor generals in place, the Suns have to slide the guys who previously masqueraded as point guards to other positions.

Devin Booker and Bradley Beal will start at two perimeter spots. That pushes Grayson Allen to the bench, where he’ll probably be a Sixth Man of the Year contender. Josh Okogie and Damion Lee are around for depth behind that main group at the guard spots.

For the bigger wings, Kevin Durant will play a lot as the four. Royce O’Neale will be first up for backup forward minutes. Rookie Ryan Dunn has looked increasingly ready for rotation minutes. If Dunn can make shots, his defense could be his ticket to playing time.

None of this is really an issue, except for Mike Budenholzer. He may not have enough rotation minutes to go around every night for all his veteran options. But that’s something that should work itself out eventually. The fun part is going to be watching how that happens.

Sacramento Kings

Bench Forwards

The Kings added DeMar DeRozan in place of Harrison Barnes this offseason. DeRozan will start alongside holdover Keegan Murray. That’s a nice duo at the forward spot.

Behind them, things are a lot more in flux. It seems like Kevin Huerter will see more of his minutes as a backup forward, as Malik Monk and Keon Ellis have the off-guard minutes locked up Sacramento. That should cover the small forward spot fairly well.

Alongside Huerter, the Kings are hoping that Jalen McDaniels can give them some minutes as a combo forward. After a promising start to his career, McDaniels struggled with the Toronto Raptors last season. If he can make shots, play defense and provide a little rebounding, McDaniels will get some minutes, especially as the backup four.

Trey Lyles will fill some backup power forward minutes, as well as seeing some time as Domantas Sabonis’ backup at the five. Lyles’ ability to space the floor is probably a bigger advantage at the five. That makes getting someone like McDaniels to fill minutes at the four a key coming into the season. Lyles is also recovering from an injury to open the year. That may make the power forward spot something that Mike Brown may have to piece together for a while.

For longer shots, keep an eye on two-way players Isaiah Crawford and Isaac Jones. Crawford doesn’t have great size, but he played up a lot at Louisiana Tech. He’s a rugged rebounder and athletic shot-blocker. Jones is a terrific athlete. He’s probably more of a five than a four right now, but Jones could eventually see the floor as a four. He’ll need to add some range and improve his perimeter defense, but there’s potential there.


#nba #pacific division #golden state warriors #la clippers #los angeles lakers #phoenix suns #sacramento kings
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