Lakers: 3 Possible Starting Lineups LA Could Use Next Season

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently right in the middle of a long offseason, but here are three possible starting lineups that fans could see next season

When quickly glancing over the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster, the first thought that comes to mind is versatility. Having a mixture of young legs and savvy veterans, Coach Luke Walton is going to have his work cut out for him trying to find time for all of these capable players.

Some questions that he’ll be faced with include:

• Will Brandon Ingram start this year or come off the bench for Luol Deng?
• Who will start at power forward, Julius Randle or Larry Nance Jr?
• How long will Timofey Mozgov hold onto the starting center spot?

Here are three possible starting lineups that were created with these questions close at hand.

1A – Russell/Clarkson/Deng/Randle/Mozgov

This seems to be the most probable starting lineup come opening night for many reasons.

More from Lake Show Life

• Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
• Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
• Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
• Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
• Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated

D’Angelo Russell is undoubtedly going to start this year, as the Lakers only current other option is Jose Calderon and that’s not happening anytime soon. Seeing how high the team has been on Julius Randle and with Larry Nance Jr recovering from a wrist injury, Randle looks to be the favorite as of now.

Further, it’s doubtful that Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov would have signed if not practically promised starting roles, as they likely had other offers on the table with similar roles.

The remaining shooting guard spot would likely go to Jordan Clarkson, as Lou Williams has proven to be an effective sixth man throughout his career.

1B – Russell/Clarkson/Ingram/Nance Jr/Mozgov

This lineup swaps Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr for Luol Deng and Julius Randle respectively, and isn’t that big of a stretch all things considered.

By starting Ingram, the team would avoid what happened with D’Angelo Russell last season and instead let him play and grow with the starting lineup to help boost his confidence. Additionally, Nance Jr’s improvement cannot be understated as he could quite possibly steal the starting spot from Randle if he hasn’t developed on pace with his peers.

Knowing how much work Randle has done this offseason, that’s unlikely, but it’s still a real possibility due to Nance Jr’s improved shooting ability and the fact that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Youth Moment – Russell/Clarkson/Ingram/Randle/Zubac

Last season, fans begged the organization to see a youth movement lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Anthony Brown, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr and they did on very few occasions.

A starting lineup of Russell, Clarkson, Ingram, Randle and Zubac is similar to last year’s young core, but will likely only come to fruition if injuries once again plague the team, or Zubac and Ingram really earn their stripes early in the year. Otherwise, the previous two lineups are much more believable.

Next: Lou Williams Plans For Life After Basketball Are Surprising

That said, there will definitely be stretches where this lineup, and a lineup with Nance Jr and Tarik Black thrown in there, will be used by Luke Walton to help energize the squad and see what they can do.