NBA Notes: Lakers, Jake LaRavia, Cavs, front office, Heat

Lakers

The Lakers appear to have four starters set: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes and Walker Kessler. The fifth spot is considerably less obvious.

In a Lakers Nation roundtable, two staff members selected Jake LaRavia, two chose Ziaire Williams and one picked Matisse Thybulle.

That distribution explains the situation rather well. Nobody represents a perfect solution.

LaRavia offers familiarity after playing beside Doncic and Reaves last season. He also averaged 10.0 points and shot 35.3 percent on threes through Jan. 15 before struggling during the second half and playoffs.

Williams provides more athleticism and could defend the opponent’s best wing, allowing Grimes to concentrate on guards. His improved shooting makes the offensive fit more plausible.

Thybulle supplies the strongest defensive playmaking but creates more spacing concerns. Sandro Mamukelashvili offers shooting and passing, although using him off the bench beside Collin Sexton could give Los Angeles a reliable reserve combination.

My early vote would be Williams. The starters already have enough creation. They need athleticism, length and someone willing to handle difficult defensive assignments.

Either way, the fifth starter doesn’t necessarily need to become the fifth finisher. JJ Redick can change that player by matchup.

Cavaliers

Brandon Weems’ promotion to Cavaliers general manager was more than an isolated personnel move. It represented Cleveland’s decision to preserve an internal structure that has been developing for years.

As Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com noted, Weems joined the organization as a scout in 2015 before advancing to director of scouting, senior director of player personnel and assistant GM.

He now replaces Mike Gansey as Koby Altman’s top lieutenant after Gansey departed to run the 76ers.

The Cavs also promoted Jon Nichols to associate general manager and named Brendon Yu and Jose Calderon assistant general managers.

Titles matter, but continuity appears to be the larger priority. The Cavs have reshaped their roster around Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They apparently saw no reason to reinvent the operation responsible for assembling it.

Weems has spent more than a decade preparing for the position. Cleveland now gets to find out what he does with greater authority.

Heat

The Heat have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson. Their championship ceiling still may depend on less famous names.

Austin Dobbins of Heat On SI examined the potential outcomes for Nikola Jovic, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Bobby Portis and Nick Richards.

Jovic represents the largest variable. His size, shooting and ball skills theoretically make him an excellent complementary player, but injuries and inconsistency pushed him out of Miami’s rotation last season. A healthy rebound year would give Erik Spoelstra another versatile forward. Another lost season could make Jovic’s future with the organization uncertain.

Smith earns minutes through defense and decision-making, but he shot only 29 percent from three last season. He doesn’t need to become a scorer. He needs to make enough shots that opponents can’t abandon him.

Fontecchio’s assignment is simpler: provide shooting. If the threes stop falling, his pathway to regular minutes narrows considerably.

Portis should supply energy, rebounding and bench offense. His defense will determine whether Spoelstra trusts him in important matchups.

Richards gives Miami legitimate size behind Adebayo, particularly on nights when Bam rests or misses time.

The Heat don’t need every role player to reach his best-case scenario. They probably need at least two of them to come close.