Lakers newsletter: What we do and don’t know about the team

Happy Lakers newsletter day everyone! It’s Dan Woike with the L.A. Times, happy to once again be in your inbox in the sacred space between cheap airfare and headlines reminding you that you shouldn’t be going anywhere anyway.

The Lakers appear to be on the cusp of something big, an oasis in a desert of so-so basketball. Anthony Davis should be back on the court sometime this week, probably as soon as Thursday. And while he’ll be slowly reintegrated with strict minutes restrictions, he’ll at least be out there. And that’s a sign the Lakers are about to look like the Lakers again.

Before the Lakers played Utah on Monday, I asked Lakers coach Frank Vogel if he felt like the end of a chapter of this season was upon him, a page turning to the team getting back to full strength.

“I don’t think we’re there yet, to be honest. I know I’m not, my coaching staff is not,” he said. “Even when Anthony returns, it’ll be in short, limited minutes, a minutes-restriction-type of games. We’re still in a stretch where we’ve got to compete and win games for the most part without those guys.”

That’s a sobering, appropriate thought — the Lakers are still grinding, still fighting to avoid the No. 7 spot in the West and put themselves in a decent-enough of a position for the playoffs. But the mere presence of Davis is enough that even if the chapter isn’t over, it’s close enough that you can start to look ahead.

Here’s what we do and don’t know about the Lakers as they’re about to move closer toward being whole for the first time in months.

We know they’re fighters

The Lakers’ Dennis Schroder and Milwaukee’s Donte DiVincenzo hit the court.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Monday night, Dennis Schroder hit the court hard and grabbed at his back. He was slow to get up, limping his way back to the defensive end, grimacing.

Over the last month, he’s been fighting through knee pain, a bruised pelvis and an infected foot. That’s just some of what we know. He was clearly hurting against the Jazz.

And seconds later, he was back down on the court, this time diving for a loose ball.

It was fairly emblematic of the basketball we’ve seen over the last 30 games since Davis has been hurt (and really over the last 16 without Davis and James), the Lakers playing hard, hustling and clawing despite being at a talent disadvantage.

In this stretch without AD, the Lakers are 14-16. Only two players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell — have been able to play every game (Talen Horton-Tucker has played 29 because of a one-game suspension).

To hover around .500 is a massive victory, the Lakers still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt with a huge influx of talent on the way. Kudos to Vogel, to Schroder, to Markieff Morris, Kyle Kuzma and the other players who have kept the Lakers afloat.

We don’t know who their best five are

Kuzma introduced the idea after Monday’s loss, and it’s a fascinating one. Coming up with the right closing lineup is typically a process full of experimentation. And right now? No one has a clue what that group will look like.

“Obviously we have a little bit of a closing lineup we’ve had during this stretch, but that really goes out the window when those two are back and healthy. So it’s gonna be some tough decisions,” Kuzma said. “It’s gonna be some people who are playing well right now, playing a lot of minutes, those minutes get shifted just from the dynamic of having those two great players out there.

“…The best thing I can say, it’s all about getting to the playoffs and sacrifice. That’s just how you win championships, and that’s how you make things work, especially when you have these great players. So yeah, it will be interesting.”

We know Davis and James will be on the court late and it’s a pretty safe bet Schroder will be too. From there? Everyone is guessing.

We know they’re deep at center

That the Lakers have three credible options at center puts them in a unique position, giving them plenty of options depending on the matchups.

After losing to the Jazz on Monday, Vogel said that he might’ve used Marc Gasol with the second unit against the Jazz’s size had it not been for the vet’s tight hamstring, a signal that he would’ve been comfortable moving away from the slumping Harrell.

Harrell, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has seen his role shift since the team signed Andre Drummond, his production and playing time dipping while the Lakers acclimate their new starter.

Still, there’s probably a time when his energy and pick-and-roll savvy will be useful. Just like Drummond’s brute force and Gasol’s cerebral play. Not many teams have those kinds of option.

Frank Vogel yells to referee Eric Lewis during the second half.

(Associated Press)

We don’t know if Frank Vogel can make the right changes again

But options mean choices, and Vogel is going to have to make the right ones.

In any scenario, the Lakers and Vogel can pick one of five players to be “center” — Drummond, Harrell, Gasol, Morris or, the best option of all, Davis.

Kuzma alluded to that “Davis at the five” lineup being a difference maker for the Lakers, and if he’s healthy and ready for it, that could be the preference at the end of games.

Last season, Vogel was so good at picking the right option at center, shuffling JaVale McGee from the starting lineup to the bench, tabbing Dwight Howard at times and Morris at others while always having Davis as a crunch time option.

Those choices, though, were built with a full year of knowledge and understanding about his team. Can he really be that comfortable now?

We know the Lakers will be better

The NBA is a talent-driven league, with all the schemes, all the preparation, all the work sometimes completely being overtaken by simply who has the best players. And if Davis and James are close to 100% by the time the playoffs begin, the Lakers will have as much top-line talent or more than anyone they play in the West.

They had no chance to win without those guys. With them, they’ve got a chance. We’re sure of it.

We don’t know if they’re good enough

While Davis and James were able to lead a stifling defensive-oriented team to a NBA championship last season, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to do the same with another group that still struggles to shoot from deep.

Last year, the Lakers were able to ride a wave of tremendous chemistry on and off the court while in an environment that rewarded those qualities more than any other.

And we don’t know if there’s enough time for the Lakers to figure out things like their final five, their best center rotation and everything else they missed out on with their two best players on the shelf.

It’s why this chapter isn’t quite closed yet — and it won’t be until the Lakers have a better idea whether they’re going to be good enough to repeat.

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Song of the week

“Summer Breeze” by the Isley Brothers

The Lakers have been kind of like a cover band without Anthony Davis and LeBron James, trying to make it seem like the original with replacement parts. Rarely does this work out.
But let’s celebrate one of the best cover songs ever — maybe the best — this week. An all-time great outro in the song (and in the newsletter).

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