With the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the 2023-24 NBA season with arguably one of the deepest rosters in the league, the question that has been asked constantly over the last month or so has been about the starting lineup and which five players head coach Darvin Ham will go with right out of the gate.
Four players in the starting lineup have already been locked in, with Ham confirming that D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves will play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis as starters to begin the season.
However, that fifth spot has purposely been up for grabs with several players on the roster more than worthy of being in that role ahead of training camp, which got underway today in Los Angeles.
Although nothing has been made official at this point in time, that could be by design; the recently extended Jarred Vanderbilt was a starter in the team’s first practice of training camp on Tuesday, via NBA Central.
Vanderbilt is considered to be the second-best defender on the team behind Davis, and that combination in the frontcourt isn’t a bad one, as that kind of length and athleticism will give teams a lot of trouble during the upcoming season.
Although Ham tested out Vanderbilt as a starter on Tuesday, that could easily change on Wednesday and throughout the rest of camp and preseason, with Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes potentially getting a shot here or there in order to see the best fit for this team moving forward.
Although Ham tested out Vanderbilt as a starter on Tuesday, that could easily change on Wednesday and throughout the rest of camp and preseason, with Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes potentially getting a shot here or there in order to see the best fit for this team moving forward.
