For the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the few bright spots this season must be the power forward position. The Lakers are blessed to have three young, starting-caliber power forwards in Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr, and Kyle Kuzma. Although they bring different skill sets to the table, all three fit Coach Luke Walton's system well and have shown flashes of brilliance as Lakers, leaving Walton with difficult decisions as to whom he will start and what rotations he will use on a nightly basis. 

Let's consider each player's case for the starting job.

Julius Randle (4th Season)

Career Stats: 12.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 TPG, 47% FG, 70% FT 

+ His bully-ball style of play is what impresses Luke Walton the most. Likened to a  Lamar Odom and Zach Randolph hybrid, Randle is a modern forward who can take the ball coast-to-coast with his speed, or use his body to initiate contact and either draw fouls or score easy points at the rim. He is a constant double-double threat on any given night if given the opportunity to shine.

- Randle relies on his left hand too often. He is also an emotional player, which can affect his decision-making at times, resulting in his high turnover rate.

Larry Nance Jr. (3rd Season)

Career Stats: 6.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.8 TPG, 54% FG, 69% FT

+Larry Nance Jr, once known primarily as a dunker, has developed into a well-rounded player. His basketball IQ and development are the main reasons why he has the starting job at the moment. His ability to stretch the floor with his mid-range shooting is effective in most cases.

-Nance has missed 50 games in the past 3 years due to various injuries. His durability could be an issue for his future role with the Lakers, as Magic Johnson would like to keep his players on the court as much as possible. Also, Nance's play can be inconsistent, which could affect the decision making of the Lakers front office moving forward.

Kyle Kuzma (Rookie)

Career Stats (through 23 games):17.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2 TPG, 48% FG, 75% FT

+ Kyle Kuzma, the 27th pick of this year's draft, is beginning to look like a steal for the Lakers. Recently named Rookie of the Month for November, Kuzma already leads the Lakers in scoring. As well, Kuzma's versatility allows him to play multiple positions, which creates matchup problems for the opposition. The chemistry he built with Lonzo Ball during summer league is a key to the success of the Lakers moving forward. 

-One area Kuzma needs to work on is his defense, where he is only averaging 0.5 SPG and 0.3 BPG as a forward. Certainly, though, the Lakers are opting to remain patient with Kuzma as he develops.

Who fits in the system best?

“He's huge for us. What he can do defensively, and the number of positions he can guard, and the way he pushes the ball, he adds a whole nother element,”- Luke Walton on Julius Randle, 2016

“I thought Larry was probably our best player out there tonight,”-Luke Walton on Larry Nance Jr. after a loss to the Clippers

“What's most impressive to me about him is that he's upset after the games because even though he played great, we lost. He comes in here today and he's hungry to work again, and those are the things that have me excited about Kuzma,”-Luke Walton on Kyle Kuzma starting

As you can see, Luke Walton clearly likes all three, but only one of them can start, which is certainly a good problem to have. The Lakers have embraced a more team-oriented style of play this season, relying more on passing and off-ball movement to get shots off, instead of playing isolation. To compensate for their abundance of power-forwards, the Lakers are choosing to start Nance, bring Kuzma off the bench, and use Randle as a backup center to Brook Lopez. If the team indeed plans to build around Ball and Brandon Ingram, they must surround the duo with 3-and-D scorers, skills which both Nance and Kuzma offer. But Randle's ability to bang with the bigs in the paint also fits nicely into what the Lakers want to do offensively.

Impending Free Agency

Julius Randle's impending free agency could affect Luke Walton's long-term solution. Randle will hit the RFA market this coming offseason, and it is unlikely the Lakers will sign him if they opt to chase 2 max-worthy superstars (say, LeBron James and Paul George). Someone has to go eventually to make way for a possible star to come to LA. And with the frontcourt already stocked with Brook Lopez, Ivica Zubac, Thomas Bryant, and Andrew Bogut, the Lakers may look to trade Randle before the trade deadline. Surely there will be plenty of teams interested in Randle's services.

With just about $80 million of projected salary cap space, the Lakers will once again look to bring in superstar free agents to instill the winning culture Lakers' fans are accustomed to having. And if it comes to losing a fan favorite or contending for titles, Lakers' fans will take the latter.

Verdict: What I would Do

Start-Kuzma

Off the Bench-Nance Jr.   

Trade-Randle 

This is the current rotation, but as Laker fans know, Luke Walton's rotation varies every game. Everything will be the same, except for finding a trade partner for Julius Randle -- it is important to trade him soon, so his trade value doesn't plummet. Kuzma's ability to score pairs well with Ball's ability to distribute the ball, so they should keep Kuzma in the starting line up -- this will be key to the Lakers' future success. Nance can come off the bench to infuse a spark of energy when needed.