Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick sure found an interesting way to confirm who won’t be starting in 2026-27. At an introductory press conference for the upcoming season, Redick plainly stated that Luka Doncic, Walker Kessler, and Austin Reaves are locked in as starters—and they won’t be joined by the other white players on the team.
The question is: Who are the Lakers’ best potential starters after Redick ruled out two previously perceived candidates?
The announced starters should come as no surprise to anyone. In addition to the fact that they’re the three highest-paid players on the roster, Doncic is an All-NBA First Team mainstay, Reaves is a borderline All-Star, and Kessler is an elite rim protector joining a team that’s long needed his type of skill set.
As far as who might be starting alongside them is concerned, Redick ruled out Jake LaRavia and Sandro Mamukelashvili when he stated the following:
"I'm pretty confident in three of the spots. The other two spots will not be two white guys."
That beckons the question: Who are the most likely players to start, then?
1. Quentin Grimes
Redick’s comments have seemingly put a spotlight squarely on Quentin Grimes and the four-year, $60 million contract that may have already confirmed he’ll be starting. Grimes is 6’4” and lacks the length to be an ideal matchup against taller wings, but what he does well makes him a perfect fit to complement and offset Doncic’s strengths and weaknesses.
That includes the fact that Grimes is a reliable catch-and-shoot specialist on offense and a high-level guard defender on the other end of the floor—strengths that already made him a more ideal fit for the wings than LaRavia.
Offensively, Grimes has shot 38.3 percent or better on catch-and-shoot threes in four of the past five seasons. Defensively, he spent 61.15 percent of his possessions defending guards in 2025-26 and ranked in the 87th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index.
Considering Doncic is a flawed guard defender with the size to be placed on forwards, as well as an elite downhill playmaker, Grimes should at least be penciled in as a starter.
2. Matisse Thybulle
Health is the question here. Matisse Thybulle is an excellent defender who has made a career out of locking opponents down and dominating the passing lanes. He’s even a great shot-blocker for a wing and a vastly improved three-point shooter.
Unfortunately, Thybulle has appeared in just 45 games over the past two seasons—and there’s no guaranteeing that those injury issues are behind him.
If Thybulle stays healthy, however, his 7'0” wingspan and proven defense should give him a shot at starting. With Grimes picking up guards, Thybulle on wings, and Kessler in the paint, the Lakers may just have enough defensive firepower to make that end of the floor a strength.
It’s a risky endeavor to name an injury-plagued player a starter and then risk disrupting the rotation once roles have been defined if they ultimately get hurt again, but a healthy Thybulle would be the best option to round out the starting 5.
3. Ziaire Williams
The most promising of the potential starters, Ziaire Williams is the epitome of untapped potential. He has the tools to be a great defender, has shown flashes of a quality jump shot, and is an explosive athlete whom Doncic could turn into a top-tier lob threat.
With no postseason experience and a history of inefficiency, however, the jury is still out—though that means the door remains open.
Williams offers intriguing physical gifts at 6'9” with an 6'10.25” wingspan. There are concerns about his strength and weight, but he claims to have gone from 185 pounds to roughly 215, and ranked in the 87th percentile regardless in perimeter isolation defense in 2025-26, per Basketball Index.
Williams has the highest ceiling of the fringe starters, and his 6’9” frame and upside may just win the day as Redick looks for his best option at the 4.
Honorable Mention: Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero
Too soon? Probably. But could either Cameron Carr or Adou Thiero start by the end of the season? Absolutely. Particularly if the Lakers opt against trading for a new starter before the February deadline.
Carr is simply too promising as a 3-and-D wing with a 7'0.75" wingspan, and Thiero is too much of an athletic dynamo with elite defensive potential to outright overlook.
Carr may need time to adjust as a rookie, and he may even be a better fit for the 3 than the five-out 4. In saying that, he’s a defensive playmaker with range on his jumper. Thiero, meanwhile, is 6’8” with a powerful frame, a 7'0" wingspan, and an OG Anunoby type of combination of raw power and explosiveness.
With the jury still out on both players, however, the veterans remain the favorites.
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