Lakers’ Starting Lineup Predictions After Summer Moves

The Los Angeles Lakers have revamped their roster following a surprisingly fast first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves this spring.

Minnesota, en route to a second consecutive Western Conference Finals run, disposed of L.A. in just five games.

The Lakers' two biggest issues — backcourt defense and the center position — were utterly exposed. By the last game of the series, against a talented and traditionally-sized frontcourt, head coach JJ Redick had relegated starting center Jaxson Hayes to riding pine entirely. He didn't play a single second, but Maxi Kleber made his Lakers debut for some very limited minutes.

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This summer, L.A. signed a pair of veteran free agents after buyouts, center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart, plus young combo forward Jake LaRavia, while letting reserve forward Dorian Finney-Smith walk for the Houston Rockets in free agency. The team also selected rookie forward Adou Thiero with the No. 36 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

So how many of these new Lakers will crack head coach JJ Redick's starting lineup?

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Let's dive in.

Point Guard

At 6-foot-6, five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic is the size of a wing, and depending on the lineup could even conceivably play at the small forward spot, but for now let's pencil him at the point, since he is the most ball-dominant player on the roster.

Redick may toggle him defensively between the two backcourt positions, but it feels unlikely that he'd ever start at small forward.

Shooting Guard

Austin Reaves is L.A.'s third-best player, behind only Doncic and LeBron James. It's not particularly close.

He's a borderline All-Star, and depending on his output and the Lakers' midseason record, he could conceivably even earn such a nod this year.

One of the biggest bargain signings in the league, Reaves' defensive issues and usefulness on the ball have put the Lakers in a strange position. It might make the most sense to stagger his minutes from Doncic's and James', at least somewhat, by bringing him off the bench in a Manu Ginobili or Jamal Crawford-type role, as a creative scorer and passer who can light up lesser opposing defenses.

But he's so gifted on offense, and the Lakers are without any elite backcourt defenders, that it might make sense to just start him at the two for now.

Small Forward

Rui Hachimura has earned this spot, and should be jumping at the three on opening night.

That does not necessarily mean he'll finish the year there, as there has been talk that 6-foot-3 Marcus Smart, a former Defensive Player of the, could be slotted in here — or at the starting shooting guard spot over Reaves.

It's no secret that the 6-foot-8 Hachimura is essentially a power forward, and defensively is more suited to playing up a position, at center, rather than down a slot, at small forward. There is a world in which Hachimura is benched for LaRavia, a more prolific 3-point shooter who could be a better fit as a small forward.

Power Forward

21-time All-NBA superstar LeBron James, even at age 40, remains an elite offensive star.

The four-time league MVP has slowed down a bit on the other end, which is why he is pretty much unusable as a small forward chasing around younger, more mobile three's.

Center

This is Ayton's job to lose. In fairness, that's exactly what happened to him in each of the last two spots, when the Phoenix Suns traded him away in 2023 and the Portland Trail Blazers bought him out of his contract earlier this summer.

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