The starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers appears to be anything but set in stone with the season opener only a few days away on Oct. 26. Head coach Luke Walton has experimented with a few different lineups throughout the preseason, and that will likely continue during the regular season.
Apparently, Walton isn’t satisfied with what he’s seen from his starters thus far. Slow starts have been a problem, and the starting lineup will continue to be tinkered with as a result, via Mark Medina of OC Register:
“I’ve gotten a pretty good feel for the second unit group, but we have to figure something out with the starting group,” Walton said. “Until we get that under control, those lineups are probably going to change.”
It’s safe to assume that D’Angelo Russell will remain the starting point guard for the foreseeable future. However, Russell’s starting backcourt companion may frequently change if Walton continues to experiment with players like Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson, and Nick Young or possibly even Brandon Ingram.
Veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov also have their starting roles basically locked up at small forward and center it seems. Power forward, however, may also be experimented with much like at shooting guard.
Julius Randle is the obvious choice to start at power forward, but Walton could try to mix things up with Larry Nance Jr or other options. Needless to say, the new Lakers head coach is open to all possibilities and will keep working on the lineup until he finds something that he’s comfortable with on a nightly basis.