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Read MoreAfter reportedly deciding to wait until midseason to see how the team does before trading for a elite defensive starting small forward, the big question facing JJ Redick and the Lakers now is who’s going to be their fifth starter?
With Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and De’Andre Ayton projected to start, the competition for the fifth starter seems to be between three players: Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Smart is probably the best two-way player but smallest among the three, Hachimura the best offensive player with excellent positional size, and Vanderbilt the best defensive player also with excellent positional size.
Last season, the Lakers were a solid 11th in offensive rating, a mediocre 17th in defensive rating, and middle-of-the-pack 14th in net rating. They were almost a top-10 team on offense but poor defense pulled them down.
The storyline of strong offense held back by mediocre defense gets worse when looking at the Lakers’ starters, who were 7th in offense, 25th in defense, and 12th in net rating. Better offense but even poorer defense.Veteran center De’Andre Ayton starting in place of youngster Jaxson Hayes will hopefully give the Lakers a dramatic boost in their ability to protect the rim and switch on the perimeter as well as better defensive rebounding.
But going into the season without a legitimate 3&D starting small forward or rim protecting backup center puts great pressure on the Lakers’ starting lineup and rotation to overachieve until help arrives at the trade deadline.The reality is with a shredded and driven Luka Doncic, a healthy legacy seeking LeBron James, and a hungry redemption powered Austin Reaves, the Lakers don’t need any more offense. What they need is DEFENSE!
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Why Marcus Smart?
Marcus Smart, 6′ 3″, 220 lbs, 31 yrs old, 2-yr min contract w/player option
9.0/2.1/3.2/0.3/1.1 in 20.0 mpg shooting 39.3/34.8/76.1%While he may no longer be the DPOY he was with the Celtics, Marcus Smart is the only one of the three candidates to be the Lakers’ fifth starter who has a proven history of being an elite all-league perimeter defender.
If Smart comes into camp healthy and in condition to play 30 minutes per game rather than the injury-riddled 20 minutes per game he played with the Grizzlies and Wizards last season, he should be the Lakers’ fifth starter.
More than anything, it’s the championship defensive intangibles Marcus would bring to the starting lineup that make him the obvious best option as the team’s fifth starter. His is the best defense, heart, and BBIQ of the three.When the Lakers have played great defense, it’s been because of LeBron James’ ability to communicate and choreograph the team defensively. Smart will finally give James the defensive partner that Davis used to be.
De’Andre Ayton’s improved rim protection and help and Luka Doncic’s improved motivation and conditioning along with Marcus Smart’s BBIQ and charismatic leadership should transform the Lakers’ starting defense.While Smart is the Lakers best option as a fifth starter, there are concerns because at 6′ 3,” he makes the Lakers smaller when the league is trending bigger and our weakness is our lack of a quality backup defensive center. Other concerns include Rui’s willingness and effectiveness to come off the bench and the reality that both he and Vando are very likely to be traded. Marcus could be the only one of the three left after the trade deadline.
While it will force them to play smaller, starting defense-first Marcus Smart as the team’s fifth starter is the surest way to transform the Lakers’ starting lineup from an offense-first squad to one that can both score and defend.
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Why NOT Rui Hachimura?
Rui Hachimura, 6′ 8″, 230 lbs, 27yrs old, 1-yr $18M expiring contract
13.1/5.0/1.4/0.4/0.8 in 31.7 mpg shooting 50.9/41.3/77.0%Let’s start by noting Rui Hachimura had a better individual defensive rating last regular season than teammates Luka Doncic, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Dalton Knecht.
So the reason Rui Hachimura is going to be replaced as the Lakers’ fifth starter is not because he was the worst defender of the starters. It’s because the team needs a defensive infusion and he’s the logical one to be replaced. The Lakers are not going to ask one of their Big Three of Doncic, James, and Reaves to come off the bench and we already know Hachimura is not going to start at center instead of Ayton. Hence, Rui goes to the bench.
How Rui handles the move from starter to the bench will have a huge impact on the Lakers. The other major reason for moving Rui to the bench is the Lakers’ reserves finished 28 out of 30 in offensive rating last season.
If Rui can play starter minutes off the bench and average 18 points per game, it could transform the Lakers ability to score points when starters rest. Bench scoring was one of the Lakers’ greatest weakness last season.The other benefit of Hachimura coming off the bench is being able to matchup against other power forwards. As a starter, Rui has always had to defend small forwards so that LeBron could defend slower power forwards.
Coming off the bench, Rui can now backup LeBron at power forward, both allowing LeBron to reduce his minutes to stay healthy and fresh for the playoffs and giving the reserves greater positional size and scoring.While Rui is not the best fit to start, he should have a great opportunity to help the Lakers get off to a hot start in the west by coming off the bench as LeBron James’ backup at power forward and possible 6MOY candidate.
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Why NOT Jarred Vanderbilt?
Jarred Vanderbilt, 6′ 8″, 214 lbs, 26yrs old, 3-yr $37M contract
4.1/5.1/1.1/0.3/1.0 in 16.1 mpg shooting 48.8/28.1/55.6%While the Lakers once hoped Jarred Vanderbilt would develop a good enough offensive game to prevent being played off the court, injuries and lack of swagger and confidence have severely hindered that progress
NBA players can legitimately play any position that they can defend. At 6′ 8″ with a 7′ 1″ wingspan, Vanderbilt is not only capable of defending guards
but would also have a distinct positional size advantage at shooting guard.
There is no better NBA starting foursome than Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and De’Andre Ayton that could optimize Jarred Vanderbilt’s defensive strengths while easily minimizing his offensive weaknesses.Recent reports indicate the Lakers have lost patience with Vanderbilt and are not expecting him to be part of the team’s regular rotation. He’ll have to perform at a very high level in camp to be considered for a rotation role.
While downplaying expectations, the Lakers desperately need defense in the starting lineup and coming off the bench. Frankly, it’s irresponsible for them not to find a viable role for Vanderbilt, the team’s best defender.Basically, Vanderbilt is one of five players along with Vincent, Hachimura, Kleber, and Knecht, whom the Lakers are probably going to move on from this season in a major consolidation trade right before the trade deadline.
Needless to say, the Lakers would be thrilled if Vanderbilt had a great camp and showed he could be a viable option as a 5th starter. The Lakers would like nothing more than giving Vanderbilt a starting audition for the NBA.In the end, Jarred Vanderbilt’s time with the Lakers is coming to a close. Despite a desperate need for defense, the Lakers are preparing to move on from Jarred Vanderbilt and should not consider him as their fifth starter.
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Smart, Hachimura, or Vanderbilt? Who Will Be Lakers’ Fifth Starter? After reportedly deciding to wait until midseason to see how the team does before trading for a elite defensive starting small forward, the big question facing JJ Redick and the Lakers now is who’s going to be… pic.twitter.com/4Arxi0QyMt— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 14, 2025
Smart, Hachimura, or Vanderbilt? Who Will Be Lakers’ Fifth Starter? WHY MARCUS SMART?Marcus Smart, 6′ 3″, 220 lbs, 31 yrs old, 2-yr min contract w/player option9.0/2.1/3.2/0.3/1.1 in 20.0 mpg shooting 39.3/34.8/76.1%While he may no longer be the DPOY he was with the… pic.twitter.com/zdNcBXW1zY— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 14, 2025
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Smart, Hachimura, or Vanderbilt? Who Will Be Lakers’ Fifth Starter? Why NOT Rui Hachimura?Rui Hachimura, 6′ 8″, 230 lbs, 27yrs old, 1-yr $18M expiring contract13.1/5.0/1.4/0.4/0.8 in 31.7 mpg shooting 50.9/41.3/77.0%Let’s start by noting Rui Hachimura had a better… pic.twitter.com/a0dngTDWai— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 14, 2025
Smart, Hachimura, or Vanderbilt? Who Will Be Lakers’ Fifth Starter? Why NOT Jarred Vanderbilt?Jarred Vanderbilt, 6′ 8″, 214 lbs, 26yrs old, 3-yr $37M contract4.1/5.1/1.1/0.3/1.0 in 16.1 mpg shooting 48.8/28.1/55.6%While the Lakers once hoped Jarred Vanderbilt would… pic.twitter.com/9UaUXnOTTQ— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 14, 2025
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Read MoreFROM ABOVE ARTICLE:
After a disappointing showing against the best team in the NBA, the Lakers got a chance for redemption against one of the worst.
They took full advantage, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 118–104 in a game that also counted toward the NBA Cup, where the Lakers now sit at the top of West Group B with a 2–0 record and a +19 point differential (which, yes, Deandre Ayton, does matter).
The game, much like their now 2–2 road trip, was an up-and-down affair, with some positive flashes but not enough to inspire confidence that this team has what it takes to stay close to the conference elite. However, the Lakers should get a big boost soon with LeBron James’ return, and this game might be remembered more for the lessons it provided than for the win itself.
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Today’s notes:
The valuable reps of solving the blitz
Luka’s chess game and first-half passing masterclass (
VIDEO)Bench, shooting, and turnover concerns
Ayton: high-impact offense, low-impact defense
Quick Bucks preview
1-The valuable reps of solving the blitz
Despite the Lakers finally opening the game with a strong start and building an early 15-point first-quarter lead, and even extending it to 22 in the third, this game still featured too many defensive breakdowns, sloppy turnovers, and worrying bench minutes (more on that in one of my next points) against a very inexperienced Pelicans team to take it as a sign of a real turnaround. All starters having to play 34 minutes or more, with Luka Dončić logging 40 on the first night of a back-to-back, could have been avoided with more focus on both ends.
The biggest positive last night was the Lakers getting countless reps executing their offense in 4-on-3 situations against aggressive blitzes, hedges, and other trapping coverages on Dončić for the second consecutive game.
The Lakers struggled against the super-aggressive and connected Thunder defense, but they had much more time and space last night, which made a world of difference.
A slower, more controlled game is what they needed this early in the season, and to JJ Redick and Dončić’s credit, they were ready. As we’ve seen with Dončić’s Mavericks teams in the past, opponents will change their approaches against him cyclically, and getting these reps, becoming more comfortable, and building chemistry to problem-solve in 4-on-3 situations is key for later in the season and in the playoffs.
2-Luka’s chess game and first-half passing masterclass (
VIDEO)Dončić had one of his most in-control, non-scoring-dominant first halves, finishing with 20 points and 9 assists despite being blitzed and pressed full court from the opening possession.
The Lakers did a great job punishing all the attention Dončić drew, whether it came from backcourt pressure or blitzes in pick-and-rolls. They were deliberate in attacking smaller Pelicans defenders with rim runs and seals in transition, and by stretching the floor — setting screens much higher to counter the blitz.
You could make a full highlight reel just from Dončić’s kick-ahead passes in transition from this game, which he referred to postgame as part of his chess-like moves against different defensive counters.
Dončić cooled off in the second half, looking frustrated and tired from the nonstop hounding by Herb Jones and Micah Peavy (remember him from my Late Draft Gems deep dive).
However, the attention Dončić drew created numerous advantageous situations where Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves especially flourished. After a rough start, Redick made sure to get Reaves attacking on the move, coming off away screens and curls against smaller defenders, which resulted in a 20-point second half for Reaves.
3-Bench, shooting, and turnover concerns
The Lakers shredded the Pelicans in 4-on-3 situations when Dončić was on the floor, but struggled during both of his bench stints to the point that Redick had to end the second one early in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers were +30 in Dončić’s minutes and -16 in just eight minutes when he was on the bench, a massive 46-point net swing.
Plus/Minus breakdown (source: basketball-reference)
With James and Vincent out, bench scoring has been an ongoing problem this season. The Lakers bench ranks last in the NBA in scoring by a wide margin at just 23.8 points per game. Last night, bench units featuring three non-shooters — Smart, Vanderbilt, and Hayes — along with the struggling Dalton Knecht, were obliterated in their short stints.
Smart, who was the designated shooter the Pelicans left wide open in 4-on-3 situations, kept shooting — and missing. He went 1-of-10 from three and can’t buy a bucket from deep this season, now sitting at just 12-of-52, or 23%.
The Lakers also had another high-turnover game. Ayton and Reaves had four each, and Jake LaRavia, who showed more flashes of his signature hustle and defensive playmaking with three steals and two blocks, offset some of that with a couple of reckless passes. Smart was also pickpocketed twice by Fears, who finished with seven steals.
4-Ayton: high-impact offense, low-impact defense
Ayton has been such a polarizing player throughout his career, and watching him up close, you can see why.
He’s an amazing finisher with incredible soft touch. Last night he scored 20 points on 11 shots, missing only once. He did a great job finishing over the much smaller Pelicans and punishing them on the offensive glass with three putbacks. His 22-point, 16-rebound stat line marked just the second time this season he’s posted at least 20 points and 15 boards. He’s averaging 16 and 8 for the season, an output and efficiency that only a few centers can match.
Ayton also collected two steals and a block on defense, yet watching him you can see he’s not the disruptive rim protector or backline mistake eraser this team desperately needs. He’s prone to breakdowns, like last night in the fourth, when he first allowed an open three to Saddiq Bey by not switching, then gave up an easy layup to Derik Queen and committed an offensive foul, all in less than a two-minute span. Those kinds of stretches would prove much more costly against better teams.
5-Quick Bucks preview
The Lakers will have a quick turnaround, traveling to Milwaukee for the final game of their five-game road trip. Both teams will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Redick said he expects everyone who was available last night to be available again tonight against the Bucks. We’ll see if Milwaukee plays Giannis, who has dealt with some recent injury issues and is coming off an overtime win in Charlotte.
The Bucks opened the season 8–5 and currently rank eighth in offense and 20th in defense, showing a similarly offense-minded team profile to what we’ve seen from the Lakers this season.
If he’s available, the Lakers will have their hands full trying to bang with the Greek Freak on the final night of a long road trip. The surprising player to watch for the Bucks this season has been 23-year-old combo guard Ryan Rollins, who is having a breakout year. He leads the NBA in deflections, the Bucks in total minutes, and ranks as their second-leading scorer at 17.5 points per game while shooting 48% from three.
Rollins isn’t the only one who’s been hot from downtown. The Bucks are the second-best three-point shooting team in the NBA, with four of their top five players in three-point attempts hitting above a 40% rate.
Source: basketball-reference
With Antetokounmpo collapsing defenses and all that shooting around him, the Bucks have built the best half-court offense in the NBA, which will be very difficult to stop.
Defensively, the Bucks are far less intimidating. They lack strong perimeter and wing defense and foul at a high rate (sixth most in the league), both areas that Dončić and Reaves can look to exploit.
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And we will! In the G-League. Probably get some run against other scrubs in preseason, maybe some minutes with the heavy hitters.
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Definitely not but I also doubt we see much movement in-season. Everyone’s fit with Luka will be evaluated. Struggle during the season and you might traded but, honestly, I could see the Lakers letting 2-3 players just walk this summer simply to create cap space.
While it’s lovely and romantic to imagine the Lakers swinging an awesome trade for expiring debris and a solitary 1st round pick the reality is that won’t bring back an impact player. If they’re on a contract beyond next season you can scrap the notion entirely if the player isn’t named Jokic or Giannis.
I think the real evaluation for all these guys will come in the playoffs, which is where most of them (Rui excluded) really struggled. Reaves could win Most Improved or whatever and still not stay a Laker if he struggles in the playoffs again.
It also boils down to W.L.W. (What Luka Wants) now so his opinion matters more than a little. Play well but don’t fit into Luka’s vibe…it might be your last season in the purple and gold.
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FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
Jarred Vanderbilt isn’t in Lakers’ top rotation plans
As Jovan Buha explained on his podcast Buha’s Block, Vanderbilt has been “a popular guy for the fan base to throw out as that potential fifth starter.” However, when you look at his actual minutes from last season, it tells a completely different story.In the 36 games that he was actually healthy, Vanderbilt topped 20 minutes only six times, and in five of those games, at least one starter was injured or out, meaning his heavier minutes came mainly due to absences. It is pretty obvious, JJ Redick does not see Vanderbilt breaking into the core rotation.
Buha noted, “I don’t think JJ views Vando as a starting-level player, or even a guy who’s going to be in the top six or seven in the rotation.”
Instead, Redick thinks of Vanderbilt as more of a 12- to 15-minute-per-game contributor. He’s a role player whose minutes might increase if he stays healthy or if the team adjusts its defensive approach.
Vanderbilt’s biggest hurdle has been his health; injuries have limited him to just 65 games over the past two seasons, making it hard for the team to rely on him consistently. When he is on the floor, his defensive intensity remains his strongest asset.
The Lakers do boast an offensively-loaded roster. Having a defender like Vanderbilt to lock down opponents off the bench is valuable.
That said, to increase his role, Vanderbilt needs to become more consistent offensively. Luka Doncic’s play often creates open corner three opportunities, and if Vanderbilt can work on his 3-point game, knocking down a few of those regularly, his value would grow significantly.
Looking ahead, the expected Lakers starting five features Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton. Off the bench, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia are likely to get priority minutes, leaving Vanderbilt as a steady, defensive-minded role player.
In summary, the Lakers have made it clear: Vanderbilt is not a starter, but his defensive contributions and potential for offensive growth keep him an important part of the team’s rotation.
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I think that, post coach Ham, Vando always faced an uphill climb to be a starter on this team. Reddick (despite what he says) is clearly an offense first/defense second coach. It shows in his line ups and his over-reliance on simplistic and easily scouted defensive schemes.
That being said, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, including Jarred. Injuries suck but they happen. Surgery sucks but it happened. Now bounce back, go into the lab, get cooking and show everyone what made Minnesota and Utah regret not giving you more minutes a few years ago when he was instrumental in getting us into the playin.
Even just better paint finishes would go a long way. His game lacked lift last season and he looked like he still didn’t trust his legs. Hopefully some NBA action and a summer of work heralds the return of the Vando we all (well, maybe not all, but me anyhow) love and root for. Hitting the corner three would be gravy, baby.
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Valid point, Darren. The odds are against Hayes actually successfully making the transition much less making it quickly. It takes the kind of confidence in your ability to shoot that most big men simply do not have and that's difficult to develop. The only saving grace in…— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 13, 2025
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Woike on the Lakers new ownership: #LakeShow “One thing that fans should know — modernization efforts began prior to the sale with the Lakers further investing in things like analytics and medical staffing. But there was, to some extent, a budget. With deeper-pocketed… pic.twitter.com/mY4mYt25X5— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) August 13, 2025
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I would consider giving Rui an extension. Potential free agent targets have been signing extensions and there are not many unrestricted free agents better than Rui left that would make sense for the Lakers. Next summer the Lakers have potentially 3 firsts they could trade. But those firsts doesn’t do you much good with no salaries to attach. The worst case for the Lakers is if Rui continues to grow like he did last year and walks away for nothing.
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From the above article:
Luka Doncic and Rob Pelinka
The Lakers fascinate me for so many reasons. I can’t decide whether they will be this season’s most pleasant surprise or squandered opportunity, like a Ferrari locked in its own garage. Thanks to Doncic, this is a team that should have championship-or-bust expectations; short of sabotaging its future, they should do whatever it takes to contend for a title every season. Doncic has been great enough to warrant win-now urgency for years. And yet, that’s not what’s happening in Los Angeles. At least not undeniably. Instead, the Lakers have a roster full of Band-Aids.
A disgruntled, increasingly mortal LeBron James creates more questions than answers. Austin Reaves is playing for a new contract and will either be too expensive or too shaky on defense to make sense beyond this season. Marcus Smart is a 31-year-old variable whose cosmic winning plays are offset by an iffy outside shot and chronic injuries that have sapped him of the defensive edge he had in Boston.
Time will tell whether Deandre Ayton is able to establish himself as a long-term pick-and-roll partner who can anchor Los Angeles’s defense, rebound, run the floor, and sacrifice touches and shots without any complaints. Dorian Finney-Smith was lost in free agency (a misplay by Pelinka) and effectively replaced by Jake LaRavia (a fine all-around bench piece who’s yet to play a second of playoff basketball).
This brings us to Doncic. Few players are ever powerful enough to become sole possessors of their own destiny. Maybe three or four emerge in a whole generation. Doncic was one of them until Nico Harrison traded him away and then sullied his character. Doncic responded to the criticism by gracing the cover of Men’s Health magazine this summer. He shed the grief leftover from last season’s trade by assuming ownership of the situation and actively recruiting free agents (like Smart) to his new team.
It’s worth wondering how such sudden and overtly self-conscious behavior comes from someone who, since adolescence, has spent every year of his life as the most confident and preternaturally gifted basketball player his age in the entire world. Doncic’s ability to transcend all of L.A.’s issues is one question. His happiness is another.
Can he reassert himself as the soul-snatching superstar who lifted Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2024? For those who don’t remember, here were Doncic’s per-game averages that year: a league-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds. He drilled a career-best 38.2 percent of the 10.6 3-pointers he launched every night. We’re talking about someone who has the highest career usage rate (35.5 percent) in league history, a take-no-prisoners pick-and-roll maestro who’s mowed through every single defensive scheme that exists.
The pressure on Doncic is unlike what anyone else in the league is facing. Players with his potential can’t afford to spend two straight years in competitive irrelevance. The historical stakes are too high, especially now that he’s the central focus of a storied organization that’s awkwardly pivoting from one first-ballot Hall of Famer to the next. Being the face of the Lakers is different from being the face of just about any other team. It’s a type of fame that’s unachievable anywhere else. LeBron took advantage of that partnership in ways that augmented his celebrity, but the cost was an opportunity to win as many championships as he possibly could; his basketball existence was at the mercy of a front office that inevitably bungled the back nine of his career with one misstep after the next. Will Doncic, who’s yet to even win his first MVP let alone his first title, be comfortable with the same front office handling his future?
Even though he signed a two-year extension that keeps him in L.A. through 2028, it’ll be interesting to see how committed Luka is to a franchise that he did not choose on his own. To that end, Pelinka can’t take Luka for granted, especially when you look around the league and see which teams—the Rockets, Heat, Clippers, [spasming cough fit] Mavericks, etc.—are positioned to offer him a max contract two summers from now.
Maybe everything works out and Doncic is able to mask all of his team’s short-term flaws. But if not, it’ll be interesting to see how fast it takes for him to lose his patience with an organization that’s spent the last few years comfortably skating by on borrowed time.
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MORE GREAT STUFF FROM IZTOK FRANKO!Best Perimeter Defenders in West:3-Tier 1: The eliteAmen ThompsonAlex CarusoLuguentz DortJaden McDanielsToumani CamaraKris Dunn4-Tier 2: Still All-Defense-level disruptors:Marcus SmartI’ll admit ranking Smart this high is partly a… https://t.co/R6nY4l78lE— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 12, 2025
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