On Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham addressed the media just days before the team opens training camp. Camp will start with media day on Monday, and although there isn’t a great deal of hype surrounding this year’s edition of the Purple and Gold, the team has as much potential as any edition has in quite some time.
LeBron James is reportedly healthy and energized ahead of his 21st season, while Anthony Davis has impressed with his perimeter shooting during a minicamp James recently held in San Diego.
Ham said James, Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell will be in the starting lineup this season. The fifth spot will be an open competition (h/t Lakers Daily).
Darvin Ham confirms the team’s starting backcourt is D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. The third frontcourt spot and fifth spot in the starting lineup next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Reaves and Russell is up for grabs in training camp, according to Ham.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 28, 2023
The top candidates for that fifth spot seem to be forwards Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura. Vanderbilt held that spot for most of last season after arriving in February’s Russell Westbrook trade, and he is a standout defender who has an iffy perimeter jump shot.
Hachimura, on the other hand, is an instant offense player who thrives in iso situations and in transition. He has also had some stretches of very effective defense, although he isn’t the defensive ace Vanderbilt was last spring.