One minor question the Los Angeles Lakers have had lately is who will be their fifth starter once the regular season tips off on Oct. 24 versus the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are obviously two of their frontcourt starters. D’Angelo Rusell and Austin Reaves will be their starting backcourt, leaving one frontcourt spot open.
So far, there have been two candidates for that final spot: Jarred Vanderbilt, who started most of last season after arriving in a February trade, and Rui Hachimura, who came off the bench and did very well as an instant offense man.
But as training camp progresses, there is reportedly a new serious candidate for the final starting position.
Via The Athletic:
“The fifth starter spot is the biggest question mark of camp. At this point, there are three candidates: Hachimura, Vanderbilt and Taurean Prince,” wrote Jovan Buha.
“Each candidate has a different argument. … Prince is the best shooter by a significant margin, an important box to check in a James-Davis frontcourt.
“The Lakers have been mixing up their lineups in scrimmages, experimenting with different players at small forward. Vanderbilt was the primary fifth starter on the first day, with Prince being more involved with the starters on the second day, according to team sources. Hachimura, who entered camp as the favorite for the position given his considerable playoff progress, is expected to get a serious shot in camp as well.”
Prince, who is 6-foot-7 and nearly 220 pounds, is a potent 3-point shooter, and he has said his goal for this season is to reach the 40% mark from downtown. While his natural position is small forward, he can easily scale up to the 4, making him one of several players on the roster versatile enough to play more than one position.
Los Angeles’ first preseason game will be on Saturday versus the Golden State Warriors. James will not play, which will give others, such as Prince, more of an opportunity.