Darvin Ham: The Lakers Have Championship Level Depth... Is He Correct?

The schedule was released on Thursday... but we recorded this before that happened, so all the big post-schedule-drop-hoodoo will come on Monday.

In the meantime, Darvin Ham says the Lakers have championship caliber depth. Is he right? And more importantly, what exactly does that mean? The answer, particularly the focus on depth, is an interesting change for the Lakers compared to different points in their history. There certainly have been times where depth was measured in the number and quality of stars, rather than viable rotation players going down seven or eight or nine or ten roster spots.

This Lakers team has two bonafide stars. Top 5-10 guys around the league (and better, depending on the day). But they also have Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura -- three high end members of the NBA non-star class. They've got Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt, along with Gabe Vincent,, and some young players worth a flier.

What does championship depth mean? How is that different from championship talent? Is there a difference?

And why are we talking so much about depth? The answer says a lot about the direction the league is going. Remember, it's a copycat organization.

Finally, with the in-season tourney schedule out -- remember, we recorded before the big schedule drop -- we revisit the NBA's new event. How will teams like the Lakers react?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Darvin Ham says the Lakers have championship caliber depth.

SEGMENT 2: Why are we talking about depth now, more than stars and talent?

SEGMENT 3: The mid-season tournament drops!

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