3 possible closing lineups the Lakers could utilize next season

The Los Angeles Lakers had an excellent offseason that resulted in the team bringing back last year’s core that made it to the Western Conference Finals, albeit with several upgrades.

After making it that far in the playoffs in such a short amount of time playing with each other, the sky is the limit for the purple and gold this season. Los Angeles is viewed as a legitimate threat to win the NBA Championship and rightfully so.

It is not going to always be smooth sailing, though, as there are several things that Darvin Ham will have to figure out about his team. The most important equation that Ham will have to solve is what the team’s closing lineup is going to be. The group you close with is incredibly important, especially in the postseason, and there are several different ways Ham could go.

3 different closing lineups the Lakers could utilize:

1. The best possible closing five

• Gabe Vincent
• Austin Reaves
• Rui Hachimura
• LeBron James
• Anthony Davis

If we are simply talking about getting the most talent on the floor then this is probably the lineup. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves are going to be part of all these closing lineups as they are the three most important players on the team. It is how the other two players fit alongside them.

In this case, the Lakers would be going with Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent. Hachimura proved that he is a more reliable option in crunch time over Jarred Vanderbilt in the NBA Playoffs while Vincent is coming off a great run with the Miami Heat.

Some may argue that D’Angelo Russell should be in over Vincent in this particular lineup. While Russell has all the natural talent in the world, he makes too many mistakes to be regarded as the “best option” in a closing lineup.

2. The small, shooting lineup

• Gabe Vincent
• D’Angelo Russell
• Austin Reaves
• LeBron James
• Anthony Davis

However, if the Lakers wanted to go small and perimeter-focused then Russell could make the lineup in this iteration. The only change would be swapping him out for Hachimura as he could take the ball up court and serve as a more athletic option on the perimeter for the Lake Show.

This lineup would have AD and LeBron camped near the paint and can feature four different players (everyone but AD) as offense initiators. Whether it be to create their own shot or create a shot for others, the playmaking in this specific lineup is off the charts.

This is only going to work against a smaller team that won’t punish the Lakers with someone like Luka Doncic.

3. Size, size, and more size

• LeBron James
• Austin Reaves
• Rui Hachimura
• Anthony Davis
• Jaxson Hayes

If the Lakers wanted to go as big as possible then this is the route. It already appears that the Lakers are confident enough in Jaxson Hayes starting so maybe he makes his way to the crunch time lineup.

This is probably the worst of the three as playing a traditional center like Hayes in closing minutes is an outdated philosophy. He is not much of an offensive threat, which would allow other teams to create disadvantageous matchups for LA.

However, from a defensive point of view, this lineup could be really special. If it is a situation where the Lakers need to protect a 10-point lead from a three-minute sprint then the team could even swap Jarred Vanderbilt for Rui Hachimura for more defensive potential.