The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have a solidified starting lineup entering the regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors, but it seems like the plan is now in place.
After the preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings, head coach Frank Vogel discussed how he would consult the front office, LeBron James and Anthony Davis about who would start.
James, Davis and Russell Westbrook are the guaranteed starters, but filling in the two spots around them got complicated when injuries emerged.
Trevor Ariza and Wayne Ellington were two veterans expected to start, which would’ve allowed Davis to start at center, but both are out with injuries. Ariza is out for a longer stretch than Ellington.
For now, the Lakers are expected to start Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan alongside the star trio, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:
Lakers expected to go with a starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and DeAndre Jordan in tonight’s season-opener against the Warriors, league sources tell @YahooSports. https://t.co/dY9yMM6r0o
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 19, 2021
This lineup isn’t surprising given how Jordan typically started games with Davis in the preseason, and Bazemore is a two-way glue guy at shooting guard. The Lakers used this lineup to end the preseason.
Spacing issues will materialize since Bazemore and James are the two stable threats from the perimeter, so it’ll be interesting to see how Vogel and company navigate this going forward.
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