Projected Lakers starting lineup, Warriors starting lineup for Game 1

The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the NBA Playoffs in a series that is going to capture the attention of the entire sports world. This battle between Stephen Curry and LeBron James is as prolific as a second-round series can be.

LeBron and the Warriors have done battle countless times in the NBA Finals and now we get to see it with the Lakers. LeBron may no longer be in his prime but he proved in the Memphis series that he can still pick his spots and take over a series.

It is going to be an incredibly fun series that Lakers fans are hoping is not as stressful as the Memphis series was at times. These two teams are both filled with talent and the starting lineups reflect that.

Projected Lakers starting lineup vs Warriors:

• D’Angelo Russell
• Austin Reaves
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• LeBron James
• Anthony Davis

This is the starting five that the Lakers threw out there in the first round of the playoffs and it does not seem like Darvin Ham is going to change it at all. The only change he could really make would be with Vanderbilt but that seems unlikely.

Vanderbilt wasn’t at his best during the Memphis series as he was not able to contain Ja Morant defensively as the Lakers had hoped. Rui Hahcimura’s offense off the bench ended up being far more impactful than Vanderbilt’s defense. However, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it; Hachimura will likely remain a bench threat.

LeBron led all Lakers in scoring with 22.2 points per game in round one. Anthony Davis should have a much better go at things and should average more than the 20.8 points he averaged in round one.

Projected Warriors starting lineup vs Lakers:

• Stephen Curry
• Klay Thompson
• Andrew Wiggins
• Draymond Green
• Kevon Looney

Curry was otherworldly in round one against the Sacramento Kings, particularly in Game 7 when he dropped 50 points to elevate his team into the second round. The rest of the Warriors’ starting lineup has had moments but has not been as consistent.

Klay didn’t show up in Game 7 and Wiggins is not having the same impact that he had a year ago. However, Draymond’s defense has been very important to this team and Looney’s rebounding has really made a difference.

The Lakers should be taking note of this, not just for their matchup in this series but for any potential ideas about signing any of these players in the offseason.

The Warriors are now playing a much bigger team that is going to give them a lot more problems near the rim. Golden State needs someone like Wiggins (or maybe even Jordan Poole) to step up and make up for the reduced impact that Looney will likely have.