Rui Hachimura or Marcus Smart — that was the popular offseason debate regarding who assumes the last spot in the Los Angeles Lakers' preferred starting lineup. Hachimura initially won the battle before losing the war.
Rui joining Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton in the starting five was clearly what was desirable in Los Angeles. It didn't work. In 87 minutes together, second most of any five-man lineup, that combination posted a net rating of -22.4. Yikes.
Hachimura was shifted to a permanent bench role. With a clean bill of health on its way to the Lakers — and hopefully somewhat sustainable — JJ Redick is back in a familiar set of circumstances. Does the second-year coach stick with a more traditional fifth starter by deploying Jake LaRavia, or does Smart firmly secure that position instead?
The former Defensive Player of the Year has started 37 out of a possible 44 games for the Lakers this season. That should continue to be the norm in Los Angeles if this group wants their best shot to compete in the second half of the season.
The stats back up Marcus Smart's case to be a permanent Lakers starter
The hesitation many had about deploying Smart as a starter, apart from his health concerns, mostly had to do with positional designations. Him, Reaves, and Doncic are all guards. That's weird, right? Well, no.
Caring about the positional labels when one of the 'guards' is listed around 6-foot-8 is the weird thing here. That feels especially true when actually looking at the data behind running Doncic, Reaves, and Smart together.
The theoretical starting lineup of those three plus James and Ayton have not spent a lot of time on the court together this season. In only 12 minutes, they have a net rating of -11.5. That isn't good.
However, a much larger sample size of the three guards sharing the court together will reveal they actually operate incredibly well with one another. The three-man combo of Doncic, Reaves, and Smart have posted a net rating of 25.9 in 172 minutes together on the court during 2025-26.
The Lakers trio combined for an offensive rating of 125.3 and a defensive rating of 99.5. That should confidently erase doubts regarding whether Redick can run three 'guards' consistently and reliably.
The skill sets between those three compliment each other well. Anyone still clinging to the concerns of three guards sharing the court together for long stretches should really let it go by now.