The Los Angeles Lakers have used different starting lineups in each of their three preseason games this week.
It seems head coach Darvin Ham hasn’t settled on a regular starting lineup yet, other than, of course, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
He didn’t commit to putting Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup, and there are several other candidates for the three other spots in the lineup.
In fact, Ham admitted that he wants to explore different lineups throughout the season.
Via Lakers Nation:
“I want to explore the entire lineup,” Ham said before Thursday night’s preseason game. “I think we have elements of playing big, elements of playing small, elements of playing super small with LeBron at the 5 sometimes. …
“But just in general with our team going through the season, we’ve assembled what I feel is a defensive-minded, really versatile group. And I want to be able to explore everything within it until I can’t, you know what I mean? … So I’m not one that’s gonna limit myself to a seven or eight-man lineup throughout the season. I’m gonna use as many pieces as I possibly can that I have at my disposal to put together the best lineup we can possibly have, multiple lineups that we can use throughout the course of the game, especially through the course of different stretches of the season.”
The Lakers have a much more versatile roster this season than they did last season. With many more viable two-way role players at multiple positions, they can succeed with several different types of lineups and be able to matchup with different types of opponents.
One of the more versatile players on the roster appears to be Austin Reaves, who looks poised and more polished in his second year in the NBA. James gave him lots of praise after Wednesday’s contest against the Phoenix Suns, saying he “can fit in any group” and that he possesses a high basketball IQ.
Of course, James is not too bad in the versatility department himself.
