Lakers Starting Lineup Prediction as Opening Night Nears

With LeBron James projected to miss potentially the first month of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers will be forced to recalibrate what they had initially envisioned their starting lineup to be.

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There's several different ways to go with this alignment. In theory, the team could go small with the addition of a guard or shooter into the starting lineup alongside Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.

Given the fact that both figure to handle the ball the vast majority of the time, a shooter of some sort could be the move over someone like Marcus Smart or Gabe Vincent.

As such, the next step would in theory involve some sort of defensive presence. The team is lacking from a defensive quality standpoint, and as such getting another athletic defensive-minded guy into the starting group may be prudent.

Marcus Smart has been hurt for much of training camp and just recently returned to action. As such, the final spot could come down to Jake LaRavia or Jarred Vanderbilt.

Starting Lineup

Guard: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves

As mentioned above, without James on the court, there's even more of an emphasis on Doncic and Reaves orchestrating things offensively. In Doncic's return to action with the Lakers, he scored 25 points in 22 minutes during Tuesday's preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Reaves has been praised all offseason for his dedication to getting bigger and stronger. He should be in line for another big year given the fact he could be a free agent at season's end.

Forward: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt

Hachimura will be starter yet again this year. His ability to space the floor is key to the flow of the Lakers' offense, and with James sidelined, Hachimura can play the four spot — likely his best position.

Vanderbilt will be the other frontcourt player. According to reports, the big man is fully healthy for the first time in years. His athleticism when fully right is off-the-charts good — and his primary role on this team will be functioning as the head of the proverbial snake defensively.

It'll be about setting the tone with his activity, and occasionally finishing in transition. He gets the nod over LaRavia due to his defensive ability, as well as the preexisting chemistry and experience starting for JJ Redick.

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Center: Deandre Ayton

This one is a no-brainer. Ayton has been saying all the right things thus far since joining the team in the offseason. He's making a concerted effort in protecting the rim and rebounding the basketball.

For the Lakers, there's a real need for Ayton to be a consistent performer up front given the struggles LA had last season with its five spot.

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