The Cleveland Cavaliers have a really talented team. They have stars, they have high-level role players and they have good bench pieces. To build a contender you need all three, and while this team is yet to be battle-tested in the playoffs they are ready for that challenge.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a different story. They have two massive stars, with the GOAT LeBron James and Anthony Davis, one of the league’s best two-way bigs of the past decade. Around them, however, there is a severe drop-off in talent and reliability through the rest of the roster.
The Lakers have big stars, but the Cavs have true depth. When we rank all 32 players on the two rosters, which team has the better collection of players?
Just how different is the quality of each roster? Is it better to have the elite stars or the deeper team? That’s a binary question that fails to properly address the situation, as having two A+ stars and a bunch of “C” players is different than having a bunch of “D-” players, but it’s a helpful construct to start the conversation.
The Cavs have young stars and solid depth; the Lakers have proven stars and questionable depth. Which roster is better? Let’s go through and rank all 32 players on the two rosters before tonight’s game between the two teams. Not all of these players will suit up tonight, but this is a comprehensive look at the players available to both teams. We start at the bottom with those players unlikely to be in the rotation now or later for either team.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: The Fringe Players
These four players are highly unlikely to factor into any meaningful game action for the season and could be easily jettisoned to add a different player later in the year.
32. Cole Swider, Forward, LAL – The undrafted rookie wing has only played two minutes for the Lakers this season, missing a 3-pointer and tallying a rebound and an assist. He earned himself a spot in the league with a decent senior season at Syracuse but doesn’t have the juice to stick around past this season.
31. Dylan Windler, Wing, CLE – The former first-round pick has been injured for the vast majority of his four-year career, appearing in just 81 total games. He has an intriguing combination of shooting and ball-handling as a 6’6″ wing, but he can’t get on the court and is likely to be traded sometime this year.
30. Scotty Pippen Jr., Guard, LAL – Not quite the talent his father was, Pippen is nonetheless fighting to make a career in basketball. After a strong college career at Vanderbilt, the 6’3″ point guard showed some pop in the preseason and could find a way to hang on in the league.
29. Isaiah Mobley, Forward, CLE – The older brother of Evan Mobley has good size (6’10”, 240 pounds) and great skill for a big, with some smooth passing chops. His problem is scoring, but he has demonstrated in the G League that he can produce when given the ball. He could be a rotation player for Cleveland down the road.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: Replacement Level Players
These guys are NBA players but don’t factor into their team’s rotation when everyone is healthy.
28. Max Christie, Guard, LAL – The 35th pick in this summer’s draft, Christie is a 6’6″ shooting guard with a comfortable outside shot and a good motor. The former Michigan State Spartan has only appeared in 10 games this year but profiles as a decent 3-and-D option for the Lakers in the next couple of years.
27. Kendrick Nunn, Guard, LAL – Kendrick Nunn had his breakout with the Miami Heat and was signed last year by the Lakers to play a key role. Unfortunately, he missed last season with an injury and has been abysmal this year. He theoretically can create his own shot and is a tough defender, but little of that has been on display in LA.
26. Wenyen Gabriel, Forward, LAL – Gabriel has floated around the NBA as he seeks to carve out a guaranteed spot in the league, playing on seven teams in four seasons. He is a rangy big who isn’t a particularly good shot-blocker or shooter, but he plays hard and can switch on the perimeter decently well. He’s a good player to have on the back end of a roster.
25. Damian Jones, Center, LAL – The second Vanderbilt player to appear on the Lakers’ roster, Damian Jones was onetime a late first-round pick of the Golden State Warriors. He has bounced around the league after his rookie contract looking for a landing spot and developed into a decent-enough stretch-5, enticing the Lakers to sign him this summer. He has played in 11 games this season with one start.
24. Mamadi Diakite, Big, CLE – After a strong college career at Virginia, Mamadi Diakite has floated around the backs of a few rosters. He has played well in spot minutes for the Cavs and suddenly was thrust into the starting lineup twice in the last week, the first time as a key defensive piece in shutting down Joel Embiid.
23. Raul Neto, Guard, CLE – He’s a steady point guard; we could end the blurb there. Neto can’t shoot and isn’t going to score at a high level from anywhere on the court, but he is a solid passer and a pesky defender. He’s the Cavs’ third point guard and plays when either Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland is out, and he fills in competently.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: Rotation Options
This group of players is not guaranteed minutes on any given night, but most are worthy of being called upon in most games.
22. Dennis Schroder, Guard, LAL – There was a time when Schroder was an All-Star candidate as a young guard in Atlanta and playing alongside Chris Paul in OKC; the Lakers once spent big in (mistakenly) trading for him, but this time around he was signed for the minimum. That’s about all he is earning this season, too, as he has lost something and been unable to get it back.
21. Juan Toscano-Anderson, Forward, LAL – A fan favorite in Golden State, Toscano-Anderson left to find a role where he would be guaranteed minutes. That has not been the case in Los Angeles, where he is averaging 10.6 minutes per game (a career low). His shooting waxes and wanes but he is an excellent switch defender and knows where to be on the court; it’s a function of this team’s poor shooting that he isn’t playing more.
20. Isaac Okoro, Wing, CLE – Three years ago he was the fifth-overall pick, and now Isaac Okoro is barely clinging to a rotation spot. The 6’5″ wing plays hard and is a good defender, but he lacks the size to be a truly versatile player on that end and frequently disappears offensively.
19. Troy Brown Jr., Wing, LAL – Once a top pick of the Washington Wizards, Brown hasn’t developed the offensive game he needed to in order to be a starting-caliber player. That being the case, his length and motor on defense have earned him a starting spot on the Lakers, and his 35 percent shooting from deep is better than most on the Lakers right now.
18. Robin Lopez, Center, CLE – There are a handful of teams in the league where Lopez could start right now but in Cleveland he something of the fourth-string center behind Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love. His hook shot is glorious, he knows where to be defensively and he is an elite box-out artist. He is essential depth for the Cavs.
17. Austin Reaves, Wing, LAL – There are certain players in the league who look better because of the players around them. Austin Reaves isn’t anything special as an NBA player, but because the Lakers lack any functional wings he suddenly appears better than he is. He is a decent shooter, plays hard and certainly gets a public bump because of how badly the Lakers need him.
16. Thomas Bryant, Center, LAL – Thomas Bryant began his career with the Lakers, was waived after one year, then established himself as a talented offensive center with the Washington Wizards. An ACL tear set him back and ushered him into the realm of minimums, but he has been the Lakers’ best non-Davis big this season.
15. Cedi Osman, Wing, CLE – The definition of a streaky shooter, Osman has been a mainstay in the Cavs’ rotation this season, appearing in all 24 games. He started the season on a heater but has cooled off since, and is probably due to get hot again sometime soon. He’s an ok defender, ok ball-handler, but needs to be a great shooter to ensure a large role all season.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: Key Players in Rotation
These players may be starting, may be coming off of the bench, but are capable of providing excellent value to their teams in the right role.
14. Patrick Beverley, Guard, LAL – Patrick Beverley has a long, established track record: pest, instigator, energy, an elite defender and high-level shot-maker. Unfortunately, the shot has deserted him this season and his age is starting to sap his defensive impact.
13. Lamar Stevens, Forward, CLE – Newly elevated into the starting lineup, Stevens is a strong forward who is willing to take shots and loves to muscle inside. His help instincts make him an excellent fit in the Cavs’ versatile defensive scheme.
12. Lonnie Walker IV, Guard, LAL – The Lakers spent their only real money this offseason to sign Lonnie Walker from the Spurs, where he largely disappointed on the potential he showed as the mid-first-round pick. Yet he has been a pleasant surprise, averaging a career-high in scoring and efficiency, and the Lakers would be in truly dire straits without him.
11. Russell Westbrook, Guard, LAL – When he was starting his impact on the Lakers was the most damaging in the league, but he has settled into his bench role and seems to be finding ways to help. He’s averaging a career-low in scoring, but his passing has settled the Lakers’ bench and his terrible shot-taking is tempered when it’s not taking shots out of LeBron and Davis’ hands.
10. Ricky Rubio, Guard, CLE – Rubio is out for at least a few more weeks recovering from a torn ACL, but he was having an excellent season last year for the Cavs and should be a major boost when he returns. He is a gifted passer, a good defender and his scoring ticked up last year.
9. Caris LeVert, Wing, CLE – Like Westbrook, LeVert is best deployed off the bench; he is ineffective off-ball so playing him with Mitchell, Garland and Mobley is a series of diminishing returns. On the bench, he can go to work, and his isolation scoring and passing work best when surrounded by shooters like Kevin Love and Cedi Osman.
8. Dean Wade, Forward, CLE – Another player currently out due to injury, Wade is the Cavs’ best fit as the fifth starter. He is a good shooter and great defender, able to go one-on-one against big wings and rotate with Mobley to form a blanketing forward combo on defense.
7. Kevin Love, Big, CLE – Love is one of the very best big-man shooters in the league, and he is also one of the very worst big-man defenders in the league. His place alongside Allen and Mobley is perfect, and his floor-spacing is crucial to elevate the offense.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: The Stars
The final six players are all stars, ranging from those in All-Star consideration to those pushing for an MVP case.
6. Evan Mobley, Big, CLE – The offensive progress is slower than some hoped, but the defense is incredible. Mobley can defend on the perimeter, rotate inside and is a huge issue at the rim. Offensively he can handle in transition and make moves inside the arc, he just needs to improve the shot to become a true two-way force.
5. Jarrett Allen, Center, CLE – Looking for a traditional center ready for the modern game? That’s Allen, who doesn’t shoot from outside or handle like a point guard but is elite at the traditional center tasks. He’s one of the league’s best rim protectors, sets bone-crushing screens and elevates for lobs. He is a force on the offensive glass. Finally, unlike some relics of the recent past, his foot speed on the perimeter makes him a problem even in space.
4. Darius Garland, Guard, CLE – Despite playing alongside an All-NBA guard in Donovan Mitchell, who accordingly has the ball a lot of the time, Garland ranks fifth in the league in assists per game as he conducts the offense and is adept at finding teammates inside of tight windows. He can shoot off-the-catch and off-the-dribble and when asked to be “the guy” he can elevate a team all by himself. With an elite running mate, he is truly deadly.
3. Donovan Mitchell, Guard, CLE – There were questions about how effective Mitchell would be away from the Jazz, and they have been answered resoundingly. Mitchell is a fringe MVP candidate, excelling no matter who is out of the lineup. He’s top-10 in points per game, third in 3-point makes and has been something closer to average on defense. He’s been everything the Cavs hoped for.
2. LeBron James, Forward, LAL – LeBron James might be a better player than Anthony Davis, but we’re giving the big man a slight recency bump and James a slight downgrade because he has been a clear step slower this season. His true shooting is the worst it has been since his rookie season.
1. Anthony Davis, Big, LAL – The former Pelicans star is healthy, a true rarity for the brittle big, and is playing center full time. He has been dominant the past two weeks, averaging 35 points per game and carrying the Lakers to a respectable record (albeit against a light schedule). He is a defensive monster and his shot is falling, making him truly dangerous.
Ranking all 32 players in Cavs vs Lakers: Which Roster is Best?
The Lakers have the two best players in the game tonight, which should suggest they have the roster advantage over the Cavs. The problem with that conclusion is what happens next on the list; the Cavs have the next eight players on the list, and it’s not like they don’t have stars of their own.
If the Lakers are to win, then, they need superhuman performances from their two stars and at least one of their role players to pop. The Cavs, instead, are just relying on their players to be themselves, because normally good games from their top eight will equal a win on most nights.
That’s the problem with building a roster like the Lakers have; if James or Davis has a bad game, or a bad stretch of games, or is out, then it falls apart like a house of cards. This roster at spots 3-16 is one of the very worst in the league. The Cavs, on the other hand, have starter-level players going down to their 10th man.
The Cavs have a better roster and will have a better season, but does that mean they will win tonight? Perhaps, but they are missing multiple key players due to injury and so the gap is balanced out. If Anthony Davis detonates again, it could be the Lakers walking away with a win. If not, the depth of the Cavs could overwhelm the cracks in the Lakers’ roster.