3 Burning Questions Lakers Must Address in Training Camp

Ahead of Redick and Pelinka addressing the media for the first time ahead of the upcoming season, we look at three burning questions for this new-look Lakers squad ahead of camp.

Can Lakers Build a Solid Defense Around Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves?

One of the primary concerns for the Luka-led Lakers over the past couple of seasons has been whether the team can play defense at a high enough level to compete with the best of the best in the Western Conference and contend for an NBA title.

Heading into the offseason, the Lakers’ first order of business was addressing that issue in the paint, with the team surprisingly pulling off an uncommon sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz for two-way center Walker Kessler.

The addition of the talented young center immediately gives the Lakers a massive upgrade in the frontcourt, as he can be a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor, but it’s his skills defensively that make him stand out. 

As long as Kessler can stay healthy after playing only five games last season, the presence in the paint shouldn’t be much of a question mark unless he turns out to be a bad fit on this revamped squad. 

It’s the players around Kessler who will be under the microscope during training camp and the NBA preseason. Still, I believe the Lakers could be sneaky good defensively, with players like Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams potentially game-changers on the perimeter.

Of course, Thybulle is an injury concern, as he has struggled to stay healthy over the years, and as for Williams, it remains to be seen whether he can keep improving after coming off a career year with the Brooklyn Nets.

A healthy Thybulle is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, as he’s been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice in his career. Williams has yet to reach his ceiling, and in a recent interview with Lakers On SI, he emphasized his desire to be an elite defender, so he’s motivated and ready to prove his worth.

If Kessler, Thybulle and Williams are firing on all cylinders defensively, with Doncic and Austin Reaves doing their part in the backcourt, Los Angeles could turn some heads on that end of the basketball floor.

Other players who could make a statement defensively if able to crack the rotation are Adou Thiero and rookie Cameron Carr. Both are athletic, hungry and bring the kind of energy that might win over head coach JJ Redick.

What Will JJ Redick’s Starting Lineup Look Like?

The No. 1 storyline heading into Lakers training camp will be who ends up in JJ Redick’s starting lineup for the season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.

Three players are obviously starters without any debate: Doncic, Reaves and Kessler. 

Book it! But there’s no surprise there, as they are the three highest-paid players on the squad, and who Pelinka and company want to build around for the foreseeable future.

As for the two other starters, that’s where the intrigue starts, with veteran newcomers Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili likely to be the frontrunners at the start of camp.

However, that could quickly change if other players emerge as better fits for the three and four spots for Redick.

With so many new players on this new-look roster, Redick will be evaluating everyone and how they fit around the team’s new Big 3. 

Grimes has already shown an ability to play well around Doncic from his time sharing the floor on the Dallas Mavericks with the talented scorer, so he’s got an edge and might already be penciled in as a starter. 

Mamukelashvili may be more of a question mark to be the starting power forward right out of the gate. He did sign a four-year deal with the Lakers, showing their confidence in the former Toronto Raptors forward, but other options might prove to be the better fit initially, like Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia or potentially even Thiero if Redick thinks he’s ready for that significant a role on the team.

Ahead of training camp, I’m going with these five: Doncic, Reaves, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Kessler.

It’ll be interesting to see how that pans out leading up to the season opener next month.

Who Separates Themselves in Potentially Crowded Lakers Rotation?

With the Lakers still needing to make moves to get down to the maximum of 15 players before Oct. 21, plenty of players are on the roster bubble, meaning their jobs will be on the line during camp and preseason.

Along with those players on the bubble, who are likely Bronny, Vanderbilt, LaRavia, Hardy and Dalton Knecht, the players I’m looking to see if they can separate themselves and make a case for rotation minutes are Thybulle, Williams, Thiero and Carr.

Carr and Thiero showed during the NBA Summer League that they could contribute right away in the 2026-27 campaign. Redick might not be crazy about leaning on players this young and inexperienced, but sometimes talented young players like this can thrive when thrust into the fire rather than watching and learning from the bench.

As for Thybulle and Williams, it’ll be their impact on defense and with their outside shooting that’ll make them stand out. Redick will almost certainly test them early and often moving forward.

Although the preseason can be boring and turn out to be simply meaningless basketball, I think this year is much different, with so many questions about players that need to be answered, making for some an interesting five-game set to be played, starting with the matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5.

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