With LeBron out, it makes total sense to play the fifth starter that best matches up with the opposing team we’re playing. I could see situation where the fifth starter could be Gabe, Marcus, Vando, Maxi, or Jaxson. Play whomever helps us win the matchups.

Yes. This is what I said on the last podcast w/Gerald. With LeBron out it doesn’t make too much sense to say “this is our OTHER starting five!” And blab your plan to the media. Keep it surprising, one game could be Gabe, the next Vando, then Smart and so on.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Using Friday’s preseason finale as a “dress rehearsal” for next week’s regular-season opener, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick put Gabe Vincent in the starting lineup to fill in for the injured LeBron James.

Vincent capped a strong individual training camp with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting (4-for-5 from 3), but the Lakers lost 117-116 to the Sacramento Kings to finish the preseason 1-5.

The regular season starts Tuesday night when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors. Though the Vincent decision was made, there is plenty more for the Lakers to figure out in the next few days.

“We have two more practices, so we need to clean up some things,” said Luka Doncic, who scored a game-high 31 points to go with nine assists in 33 minutes.

Vincent said the coaching staff informed him about the lineup change Friday morning. If the staff was uncertain about the choice, Vincent helped his cause in the Lakers’ preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday when he scored 18 points in the first four minutes, going 5-for-5 from 3.

“I think I just bring what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here,” Vincent said when asked about his fit with the starters. “Just defending, try to defend at a high level. Playmake when I have opportunities, space the floor while Luka and [Austin Reaves] are creating themselves.”

James is not expected to return to the lineup until mid-November, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania, as he continues to recover from sciatica affecting the right side of his body.

Though Vincent will join Doncic, Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura on the court to tip off the 2025-26 season, Redick made it clear that the current starters are not permanent.

“I don’t know anything about who I’m going to be starting the rest of the season because, again, there’s injuries and there’s things that happen throughout a year,” Redick said. “I have a pretty good idea who’s going to start Game 1. After that, I don’t know. But I do think in that lineup there’s lot of shooting around Luka and DA, and Gabe is another ball handler, another tough defender.

“I think he fits in well, but you have to take a look at every matchup we play against and have to make a decision there.”

Redick has downplayed the magnitude of his starting lineup decision repeatedly during training camp, pointing out that he used 25 starting lineups last season.

He and his team sounded far more concerned about their defense after allowing 59 second-half points to a Kings team that shot 54.7% overall and 44.8% from 3.

“I think in practice we were more physical,” Doncic said. “We need to work on our physicality.”

The Lakers were without one of their more physical defenders in center Jaxson Hayes for the second half Friday. He left the game because of a right wrist contusion after finishing a lob dunk in the first quarter. Redick said X-rays on Hayes’ wrist were negative, and the Lakers will have a further update on Hayes when they practice Sunday.

Former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, who had 14 points and four steals off the bench against Sacramento, vowed to help with the physicality in the meantime.

“Just follow my lead,” Smart said. “That’s really it. I’m going to try to set the tone each and every night. And just kind of piggyback off me.”

Could Lakers Use Different Fifth Starter To Maximize Match Ups? For example, Redick might prefer Gabe Vincent as the Lakers’ fifth starter versus the Warriors because he’s an excellent matchup against Steph Curry due to his aggressive point-of-attack defense and red hot… pic.twitter.com/ZpjC7wXLMA— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 18, 2025

Could Lakers Use Different Fifth Starter To Maximize Match Ups? For example, Redick might prefer Gabe Vincent as the Lakers’ fifth starter versus the Warriors because he’s an excellent matchup against Steph Curry due to his aggressive point-of-attack defense and red hot… pic.twitter.com/ZpjC7wXLMA— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 18, 2025

Could Lakers Use Different Fifth Starter To Maximize Match Ups? Until LeBron returns or Pelinka pulls the trigger on a trade, the Lakers would be smart to abandon a fixed starting lineup and deploy different fifth starters to better match up against each opponent’s starting… pic.twitter.com/9HOGPutPP6— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 18, 2025

From above article:

The Lakers lost their final preseason game, but the starters looked good and that matters more.

After five preseason games where they often played with various key rotation players out, on Friday, the Lakers finally had a game they took seriously.

Head coach JJ Redick called this preseason finale a dress rehearsal for his team.

No, the Lakers didn’t win, falling 117-116 to the Kings. However, this contest wasn’t about how they finished, but how they started.

Redick began the game with Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Gabe Vincent. All signs point to this being the team’s initial starting lineup, but a coy Redick wouldn’t confirm or deny it during his media availability.

While Redick might not want to say if this group will start on Tuesday against the Warriors when the regular season begins, they made a compelling case to be the team’s first five.

All Lakers starters were a positive in the plus-minus department, and four of the five were in double figures. The only player who didn’t break 10 points was Reaves, who has proven to be an offensive powerhouse.

Vincent being included as a starter was a bit of a surprise. He only started in 11 games out of the 72 he played last year. He was impressive against the Kings.

Vincent was knocking down open 3-pointers just like he had in Las Vegas against the Mavericks and ended the night going 5-6 from the field, scoring 14 points.

“I do think in that lineup there’s a lot of shooting around Luka and DA,” Redick said postgame. “And Gabe is another ball handler, another tough defender. I think he fits in well, but you have to take a look at every matchup we play against and have to make a decision there.”

The rest of the Lakers’ starters followed Vincent’s example and played a relatively sharp game.

Hachimura was picking his spots well, going 6-10 from the field. Ayton scored 13 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. And Luka was doing what he always does, dominating on-ball, jawing at anyone who wants to listen, and knocking down threes.

The reserves also performed well. Marcus Smart played for 23 minutes, was diving on the floor, fighting for loose balls and forcing turnovers. He was also a positive factor on offense, scoring 14 points.

Jaxson Hayes was also a positive shining in his role as the team’s backup big man. Unfortunately, he suffered a wrist contusion and exited the game. The good news is Redick said the X-rays were negative and he’ll have an update on his status likely on Sunday.

The Lakers stayed in control throughout most of the game and were up 90-86 entering the fourth.

In the final quarter, they lost that control, but with that period featuring two-way players and end-of-the-bench guys, it’s far from a preview of what we’ll see when the games matter next week.

All things considered, this game was a net positive for Los Angeles. This contest was a proof of concept that the work they’ve put in during all of training camp is working, and they are ready for the year to start.

“We’re very prepared,” Smart said. “Obviously, we’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up both defensively and offensively. But everybody’s eager to get out there and ready to perform.”

The rehearsals are now over. The show will begin for real on Tuesday in LA against Golden State. Let’s see if the Lakers can bring the best they showed on Friday, leave their worst and walk away with a win to start the 2025-26 campaign.

DEANDRE AYTON TONIGHT 💪 30 minutes 💪 12 points 💪 9 rebounds 💪 2 assists 💪 +13 +/-Walking double-double 🚶‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/dytPZk2Lg7— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) October 18, 2025

Luka left it all on the floor in his preseason finale…31 PTS | 9 AST | 6 3PM | 32 MIN pic.twitter.com/wkOPR6X875— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2025

MARCUS SMART TONIGHT: @statmuse14 PTS3 REB2 AST4 STL2 3PM5-11 FGTHOUGHTS ON HIM LAKERS NATION? pic.twitter.com/zsN5ETM6Sb— BronMuse (@BronMuse) October 18, 2025

Click and follow thread for great points about game from Iztok. Gabe may be starting just because of Steph in opener. JJ not committing to small lineup after first game. Defense needs work, ended up with Reaves & Luka as rim protectors. Smart looked great. Vando’s O is problem. Luka and DA need to work on lobs.

🚨 LAKERS OFFICIAL STARTING 5 🚨 LUKA DONCIC 🪄 GABE VINCENT 🎯 AUSTIN REAVES ⭐️ RUI HACHIMURA 🥷 DEANDRE AYTON 🔒 pic.twitter.com/nuYWm98lwe— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 18, 2025

Could This 4-Team, 8-Player Trade Transform Lakers Into Champions? Here’s a proposed blockbuster 4-team, 8-player trade that fills the Lakers’ greatest roster needs with four legitimate two-way players who can defend their positions and can’t be played off the court… pic.twitter.com/XMzaNwq52L— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 17, 2025

Could This 4-Team, 8-Player Trade Transform Lakers Into Champions? The Spurs get Maxi Kleber and a 2028 pick swap for Kelly Olynyk and a second round pick that the Lakers send to Kings along with Dalton Knecht for Keon Ellis, who has fallen out of Sacramento’s guard rotation.… pic.twitter.com/K5FREOsc4H— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 17, 2025

Could This 4-Team, 8-Player Trade Transform Lakers Into Champions? A Lakers’ starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk, and Deandre Ayton would be bigger and better defensively. Redick has said he wants to play two bigs. Now he really will be… pic.twitter.com/r3nN16hj95— LakerTom (@LakerTom) October 17, 2025

From above article:

The Lakers will treat their final preseason game against the Kings on Friday like a regular season match

The Lakers will conclude their preseason stint at home on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. With most of their key players expected to suit up, L.A. looks to transition to the regular season on a strong note.

Start time and TV schedule:

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Oct 17

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: NBA TV, Spectrum Sportsnet

With the regular season tipping off in exactly five days, the Lakers are expected to treat their last preseason game as a dress rehearsal, at least according to JJ Redick. This means expecting Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and most of the core players to not only suit up but also play heavy minutes. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of how this team currently looks like and determine whether or not they look ready for the regular season.

Besides that, it’ll also be interesting to see how Redick manages his rotation: Who will round up the starting five, especially knowing that LeBron James isn’t playing on opening night? Who will see the most minutes off the bench? Which pairings or even lineups will get the most burn on the court? How does the offense look with most guys active in the lineup?

These little details matter especially if L.A. is serious about treating this one as a dress rehearsal.

Hopefully, this dress rehearsal provides some excitement for fans who have been eager to see a complete Laker team compete. It’ll be nice to see another strong performance from Dončić and Reaves who played really well together in the loss against the Phoenix Suns last Tuesday. It’ll be even more exciting to get a good game from Deandre Ayton, who should feast in this one with Domantas Sabonis ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Aside from the top three key players, it’ll also be fascinating to see who continues to stand out in the preseason. Last game, it was obviously Gabe Vincent who scored a team-high 22 points in 25 minutes, including five 3-pointers in the first quarter alone. Rui Hachimura also stood out with 19 points along with two-way guard Nick Smith, who had eight. These three were the key highlights from last Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks and despite the result, provided some encouragement on the outlook of their season.

Hopefully, there will be more encouraging signs and positive takeaways from the Lakers’ last preseason game. Ones that will give the team and its fans more confidence for the upcoming regular season. Wins and losses in the preseason don’t matter but hey, a victory to conclude Friday’s dress rehearsal for some good juju would be nice. Let’s see if the purple and gold can make that happen on Friday.

Notes and Updates

The Lakers will face a Kings team that just made a huge move by signing Russell Westbrook this week. It’s unclear as to whether or not Westbrook will play in this one but expect the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Dennis Schröder to get some burn in this one. Meanwhile, Malik Monk (illness) and Keegan Murray (left thumb) won’t be playing.

The Lakers won’t release an injury report but it’s safe to assume that LeBron James (sciatica), Chris Mañon (ankle sprain) and Adou Thiero (left knee hyperextension) will not play. The team will likely release more details on their health status after Friday morning’s shootaround.

From above article:

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FREE TO EVERYBODY FOR TODAY!

Good, of all the players on the roster, his health and availability in the playoffs is the most vital.