Throughout training camp and the preseason, the contenders for the Los Angeles Lakers’ fifth and final spot in their starting lineup were Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura.
For most of last season following his arrival in the Russell Westbrook trade, Vanderbilt held that spot. However, he saw his playing time dwindle during the playoffs due to his inability to space the floor with his outside shooting.
Head coach Darvin Ham said that Prince will be in the starting lineup, at least for now as the Lakers prepare for their opening night matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Vanderbilt only played in their first exhibition game due to a heel ailment and will not play versus Denver on Tuesday.
Per Jovan Buha, Ham feels Hachimura will be more effective coming off the bench.
Ham says that the team believes they can extract more out of Rui Hachimura offensively with him coming off of the bench.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 21, 2023
Off the bench, Hachimura should be able to play his natural game without having to defer to both LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the same time. Last year, he greatly helped the team by coming in when James was resting and giving it plenty of offensive pop, especially during the playoffs.
