The Los Angeles Lakers will be among the most intriguing teams to follow in the 2025-26 season. Having made significant changes to their roster, the Lakers have gained flexibility in planning their starting lineup.
With this factor in mind, Lakers insider Jovan Buha revealed the most likely starting lineup the team would use on a recent episode of “Buha’s Block.” He began by mentioning three facts about the starting lineup.
“No. 1 – Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton are all going to start. No. 2 – All of those players are best defending frontcourt players. No. 3 – Because of the first two points, the Lakers need starters 4 and 5 to be able to defend backcourt players,” said Buha.
“I see five candidates for the final two spots. I see Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent,” he continued. “But really, I think it comes down to Austin, Rui, and Marcus.”
Buha showed a clear preference for Austin Reaves being in the starting rotation. He justified this by stating that the 27-year-old is realistically the team’s third-best player behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James. From a production standpoint, he is likely to solidify his place in the starting lineup.
“So really it comes down to Marcus Smart vs Rui Hachimura,” he added. “But going back to the facts with the starters, Marcus Smart is a point-of-attack defender and could also slide up and defend 3s and even some 4s, whereas Rui is primarily a 4 defensively. He can guard some 3s, but you’re really taxing him if you’re putting him on 2s and 1s.”
“I actually think he’s a better player than Marcus Smart currently. Despite that, I think Rui should come off the bench, be the sixth man, and have Marcus and Austin as the primary backcourt guys.”
With Reaves and Smart anchoring the backcourt, the frontcourt would feature the trio of Doncic, James, and Ayton. Since Doncic plays as a point guard, Buha’s suggested lineup effectively features three guards. But due to Doncic’s size, the Lakers have some flexibility with deploying such a rotation.
Buha also listed the roles for each player, as Smart took on the role of guarding the opposing team’s best player, while Reaves and James focused on guarding secondary options. Despite having improved as a defensive player over the offseason, the insider still had Doncic guarding “non-threats”, effectively being hidden on defensive assignments.
Buha’s suggestion carries considerable merit. The notion of having Smart start over Hachimura has been presented earlier as well, primarily with the intention of stabilizing the Lakers’ overall defensive scheme.
With the former DPOY anchoring the defense, Los Angeles could be a significantly more cohesive unit. When also considering the need to have a reliable frontcourt backup once James goes to the bench, having a capable forward like Hachimura to sub in for the superstar could be quite beneficial.
There is enough talent on the roster to suggest that this team could be competitive next season. However, with their title aspirations in mind, Los Angeles may consider making some trades to bolster their roster strength during the season.
