Soon, the LeBron James era will come to an end in Los Angeles. While he’s still on the roster, the franchise will get a glimpse of what the LeBron-less future holds as he’ll be sidelined into November with an injury.
Coming into the preseason, the debate around the starting five largely came down to whether Rui Hachimura or Marcus Smart should be the starter around Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and LeBron. However, LeBron’s injury has pretty solidly solidified Rui in the starting lineup while Smart’s own injury delayed the start of his preseason.
Add in strong showings from other role players during the exhibition slate and the debate about who the fifth starter should be still exists, just with different parameters around it.
Let’s look at the likeliest options for that spot, why they might make sense and what the negatives would be as well.
Gabe Vincent
Right now, Vincent seems like the early frontrunner for that fifth spot. In Friday’s dress rehearsal to wrap up the preseason, Vincent started and Redick seemed to imply pregame that lineup would also start against the Warriors on Tuesday.
In his final two preseason games, Vincent was a lights-out shooter, hitting 10 of his 16 attempts from range. While over half of those came in a game that didn’t feature either of Luka or Reaves, he did go 4-5 playing alongside that pair against the Kings.
He also brings a solid defensive presence in the right matchup, too. He’s the best combination of perimeter shooting and defense on the roster amongst the role players right now.
However, starting him with Luka and Reaves makes the team awfully small. It has a trickle-down effect, whether that means Luka potentially guarding wings or requiring Rui to be more of a rebounder to not get killed on the glass, something he’s been inconsistent at during his career.
Jarred Vanderbilt
No Laker did more to improve their stock this preseason than Vando. Healthy once again, Vando looked like the version of himself that helped the Lakers make a playoff push and run through the postseason two years ago.
Defensively, he was chasing players around the court, navigating screens and using his speed and size to jump passing lanes and create havoc. There is no better point of attack defender on the roster than this version of Vando.
Offensively, while he showed signs of improvement, there are still lots of question marks. While it was a small sample size, the only difference in his 3-point shot appeared to be his willingness to take open looks as he still shot 2-13 in five games.
He did show improvement in finishing around the rim. But how much value does that have in the starting lineup alongside another big who isn’t a floor spacer in Ayton?
Marcus Smart
Smart’s preseason debut was forgettable as he did almost nothing during it. On Friday, he looked much better, finishing with 14 points, four steals and two assists off the bench.
In theory, Smart can be a perimeter defender and an offensive weapon. But there are still questions about whether he can hang with the top guards in the league defensively anymore or if he’s more of a wing defender now.
Offensively, his erratic jumper makes it hard to rely upon him offensively, too. His impact on that end will come and go.
He is, however, a vocal leader on the team and will have the defense organized when he’s on the floor. His experience is valuable. However, after starting behind the eight ball this preseason, is he ready to jump into the starting lineup from the jump?
Jake LaRavia
A bit of a longshot option, LaRavia might be the best of both worlds if the Lakers are looking to have another wing in the starting lineup.
Offensively, he has enough variety to his game — whether in his ability to pass or create off the dribble against hard closeouts — as well as a reliable jumper that makes him a threat offensively. However, that impact is more theoretical after he struggled during the preseason shooting the ball, finishing 14-38 (36.8%) from the field and 3-13 (23.1%) from range in four games.
Defensively, he’s a smart player who makes up for his physical limitations with solid team defense. He isn’t going to be able to lock down wings while on an island, but he will have the ability to be a piece of a good team defense, which Redick relied upon last year often.
His shooting struggles likely make LaRavia a long shot to be a starter, but if the Lakers have faith that his shooting struggles were just a small sample size, then there is logic to him being that fifth guy.
