3 Different Starting Lineups JJ Redick Could Use For The New-Look Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers made a major trade this week by acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets, sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to complete the trade. 

This move has made the Lakers more dynamic by adding two three-and-D specialists, with one being a guard and the other being a multi-positional forward. This will create a dilemma for rookie head coach JJ Redick, who has to figure out a way to play the best starting five possible to ensure maximum success.

Redick has indicated what his lineup for now will be, as he values the continuity they have found over their last eight games. The rookie coach admitted that he won’t be stubborn about the lineups he wants to run, so let’s take a look at the multiple starting five options at the coach’s disposal after the trade.

The Continuity Lineup

Starters: Austin Reaves, Max Christie, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis

This is the lineup the Lakers are expected to run in their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 1, as Redick confirmed in an interview yesterday. 

This makes perfect sense, as the Lakers overcame a rough stretch of games in December by inserting Max Christie into the starting five, which has led to a 6-2 record in the last eight games. Christie is their best POA defender and has shown growth offensively, which allowed him to supplant previous starter Cam Reddish as the two-guard.

Austin Reaves has shown development as a true point guard instead of being a combo guard this season, becoming more comfortable as an on-ball playmaker as LeBron James has reduced his offensive load this season. Reaves is averaging 21.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists over the last five games, proving he can continue leading this team as their point guard. 

The frontcourt trio of LeBron, Rui Hachimura, and Anthony Davis have consistently started all season long. LeBron and Davis will not be benched in any circumstance, but Hachimura deserves to keep his place by being a do-it-all wing for the Lakers. 

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These five have gone 5-1 in six games together, with LeBron missing a few games in the middle. Until Redick has reason to believe this lineup needs adjustments, he will continue building up the continuity between these five and work Finney-Smith into the rotation off the bench.

The Big Lineup

Starters: LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Anthony Davis

There is a more radical option for Redick to rely on if his current lineup starts faltering in January. The Lakers could revert to their 2019-20 strategy and run LeBron as their point guard, with Reaves being his backcourt partner. James is averaging 9.0 assists this season, the highest mark of his career since he played point guard in the 2019-20 season, which ended in a championship.

We posed this lineup in our potential Lakers starting five after the Finney-Smith acquisition as it makes the most sense. It reduces the load on LeBron as one of the few big bodies on the roster, with Finney-Smith and Hachimura being able to absorb the defensive responsibility that James hasn’t been able to shoulder in Year 22. 

Additionally, it ensures James and Finney-Smith play together as Dorian’s best asset is corner shooting and LeBron is notorious for always finding his corner shooters when they’re open. It could work well for all parties involved and give the Lakers a unique tactical edge few teams can match by running a 6’9″ point guard.

This would be a strong defensive lineup and add variability on offense that would be hard to predict and impossible to gameplan against, with the 6’5″ Reaves being the shortest player on the court. 

The Shooting Lineup

Starters: Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith, Anthony Davis

The Lakers haven’t been great defensively for most of this season with a 115.6 defensive rating (21st in the NBA). This has been greatly boosted over the last 10 games to 109.3 under the continuity lineup. However, that same stretch has seen the Lakers’ offensive rating fall to 113.3, slightly worse than their season’s rating of 113.5 (11th in the NBA).

To further boost the Lakers can move both Christie and Hachimura to the bench while promoting Dalton Knecht and Finney-Smith to the starting five. Knecht is averaging 10.2 points (36.7 3P%) as a rookie, having the ultimate green light to shoot although he’s still looking to find better consistency. He’s the best pure shooter on the roster and if Redick needs to space the floor, he doesn’t have a better option than him.

Finney-Smith is shooting 43.5% from three this season and is an admitted corner specialist who’s excited to play off LeBron James. He is a far better shooter than Hachimura, so a shooting lineup will naturally prioritize Dorian. With Reaves also on the court, the Lakers have three potential flamethrowers from beyond the arc.

LeBron shot over 40% from three last season but has struggled this year. If he can find regularity with his outside shot, this Lakers lineup could run over teams offensively by playing off Anthony Davis’ gravity in the post and spacing the floor.

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