Who will assist Doncic? The Lakers’ starting lineup for the opening game is starting to take shape, with injuries becoming the biggest risk

Translator's Note: The original article was published in TheAthletic. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (October 19, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time. The opinions expressed in this article have nothing to do with the translator or the platform.

No NBA team played more preseason games than the Lakers, who held training camp at home but ended up playing games in five cities (Palm Desert, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas) before concluding their full schedule Friday night in downtown Los Angeles.

After losing to the Kings 116-11, the Lakers ended the preseason with a record of 1 win and 5 losses. Only the Heat (0-6) were worse.

But the score and record are not important. At this time of year, it matters who starts, who moves into the rotation, who falls out of the rotation, and who gets cut. Health is a major factor, and good on-field performance is obviously vital too.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they weren't able to get through the month healthy. LeBron James did not play in a preseason game for the first time in his career. The sciatica that has sidelined James in recent weeks will also prevent him from playing in the team's regular season opener - another "first" in James' 23-year league career.

The Lakers hope to introduce competition for the starting position, which is different from this time last year. At this time last year, head coach JJ Redick announced that James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell would start the new season, but that lineup was dismantled after seven games.

Redick has been coy about what Friday's starting lineup will mean for the regular season. The Lakers' regular season kicks off on Tuesday when they host the Warriors. Before the opening game, Redick refused to reveal his starting lineup and had the following conversation with reporters.

Q: In the absence of LeBron, have you decided how to arrange your starting position? Will tonight's schedule be the same as the opening game?

Redick: Maybe.

Q: Is this something you are willing to share or reveal?

Redick: No.

Q: What's the benefit of fielding one starting lineup tonight for the final preseason game and then a different lineup on Tuesday?

Redick: I didn’t understand your question.

Q: What are the benefits of doing this...

Redick: I don't know. I don't know why I did that.

Q: You don’t know?

Redick: Yes.

Q: So, this is the lineup you're going to use on Tuesday.

Redick: Maybe.

An hour later, Gabe Vincent was announced as the Lakers' fifth starter, joining Luka Doncic, Reeves, Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton. Not Jared Vanderbilt, who would have added size advantage to the Lakers lineup. Not Marcus Smart, who is known for his excellent defense and playmaking ability. Nor was Jake LaRavia, the youngest and arguably the most skilled player Redick considered.

Vincent has one significant advantage that earns him a starting spot: he has the best performance of all the candidates. In this year's preseason, Vincent made the most three-pointers on the team. He hit four more three-pointers in the game against the Kings, bringing his preseason total to 15 of 27 three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of 55.6%. During the same period, Vanderbilt, Smart and Laravia combined to make 7 of 34 shots from beyond the three-point line, with a shooting percentage of only 20.6%.

Outside shooting ability is the real deciding factor, because these four players all have a certain degree of ball-handling ability and defensive ability, which is enough to keep them in the rotation. Vincent's assist-to-turnover ratio in the four preseason games this year is 2:1; the same is true for Vanderbilt, Smart and Laravia combined, with a total of 28 assists and 14 turnovers. Vanderbilt, Smart and Laravia are all much bigger than Vincent, and if he continues to be the fifth starter in the opener, the Lakers' defense may struggle. The team already has a 6-foot-5 shooting guard (Reeves) who needs to be protected on the defensive end, and a 6-foot-8 point guard (Doncic) who doesn't guard the point guard, as well as a forward (Rui Hachimura) and a center (Ayton). At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Vincent has the size to guard opposing initiators without hampering the Lakers' offense by being unable or unwilling to shoot.

"I have no idea who I'm going to start throughout the season, because there are always injuries and other situations during the season," Redick said after losing to the Kings. "I have a rough idea of who is going to start in the first game. As for after that, I don't know."

"But I do think that in that lineup, Luka and DA (Ayton) will be together. There's a lot of shooting on the edge. And Gabe is another ball-handler, another tough defender. But you have to look at every matchup we face and make a decision on that."

The final preseason game on Friday made it clear that Vanderbilt, Smart and Laravia will be in the rotation as the regular season begins. All three players have started at least one preseason game. Vanderbilt should be a regular at backup power forward and also at small forward. Against the Kings, there was always a center on the floor when Vanderbilt was on the court. Smart will be the backup point guard, although on Friday night, Smart was paired with at least one of Doncic or Reeves in every lineup except for the final four possessions (when he was on the floor with Vanderbilt, Laravia, Maxi Kleber and Dalton Knecht). Laravia is the backup small forward, although he has also started at shooting guard and power forward in the preseason.

Backup center Jaxon Hayes rounded out a potential nine-man rotation on Friday. However, Hayes did not play in the second half due to a contusion on his right wrist when he dunked on undrafted center Dylan Caldwell against the Kings.

Redick sent out a different starting lineup in every game in this year's preseason, with a total of 10 different players getting starting opportunities in different games. The only one of those 10 who didn't play in the first three quarters on Friday was Knecht, but he led the team with 154 total minutes played. In the rotation that lacks James, Knect is the 10th man and backup shooting guard. But Knecht's shooting touch is not good this month. He shot only 32% from the field, 23.5% from three-point range (8 of 34), and 70.6% from free throws.

Hayes' injury allowed Maxi Kleber to play in his first preseason game since 2023. He started at center in the third quarter alongside Doncic, Reeves, Smart and Vanderbilt, and did not switch to power forward until 4:11 left in the game, when Redick chose to end the preseason with a lineup consisting of Laravia, Knecht, Kleber and two-way contract players Christian Kollock (center) and Nick Smith Jr. (point guard).

Several players who were watching on the sidelines also appeared on the expected roster: 2024 second-round pick Bronny James (ankle injury) and 2025 second-round pick Adu Tierro (knee injury) did not play, as well as two-way contract player Chris Manon (ankle injury). Tierro and Manon missed the entire preseason.

Here's the Lakers' roster depth heading into Week 1, excluding RJ Davis, Jason Williams, Anton Watson and Augustus Mathilionis:

Lakers Week 1 lineup

Starting

Luka Doncic (point guard)

Austin Reeves (shooting guard)

Gabe Vincent (small forward)

Rui Hachimura (power forward)

Deandre Ayton (center)

Rotation

Marcus Smart (point guard)

Jake Laravia (small forward)

Jared Vanderbilt (power forward)

Jaxon Hayes (center)

Substitute

Dalton Knecter (shooting guard)

Maxi Kleiber (center)

Two-way contract

Nick Smith Jr. (shooting guard)

Chris Manon (small forward)

Christian Kroc (center)

Inactive list

Bronny James (point guard)

Adu Tierro (small forward)

LeBron James (power forward)

"That's the helpless thing about injuries," Redick said, describing the injuries affecting the lineup and the two-way combination. "They're going to be important throughout the season, not just at the beginning of the season. We saw the value of two-way players last year. I mean, if you looked at the Lakers last year, Kroc and Trae Jemison, and of course Jordan Goodwin, they were huge for us, helped us turn the season around, and they made a lot of positive contributions to the team."

Redick has a different perspective on the ups and downs of a season. He is the first head coach who had to wait for James to return from injury at the beginning of his tenure. The ups and downs of this preseason gave Redick a chance to prepare for situations like this. Vincent stood out with his performance and became a clear starting option. That clarity will carry the Lakers with them heading into the regular season.

"We always shorten our rotations in the third quarter...and sometimes not play certain players late in the game, or just rest players," Redick said of his preseason lineup management. "I think our numbers in the first half, like net rating and things like that, have been great. So, we get off to a good start, but then in the second half, there are a lot of lineup combinations that may not even play together in the regular season. That's the reality."