Lakers Reportedly Make Decision On Starting Lineup
After a busy offseason, that saw the franchise add a plethora of veteran talent, some questions still remained about what the Los Angeles Lakers‘ lineup would look like to start the year.
On Tuesday, before the Lakers tipped off the NBA’s 2021-22 regular season on Tuesday evening against the Golden State Warriors, head coach Frank Vogel gave his answer.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Lakers will start a lineup of Russell Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and DeAndre Jordan against the Warriors Tuesday.
Tip-off from Staples Center for the Western Conference showcase is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
Lakers expected to go with a starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Kent Bazemore, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and DeAndre Jordan in tonight’s season-opener against the Warriors, league sources tell @YahooSports. https://t.co/dY9yMM6r0o
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 19, 2021
James and Davis are the lone Lakers players from last year’s starting lineup that will hold onto their spots headed into a new season. Westbrook, after being traded to Los Angeles this offseason, unsurprisingly earned a starting spot with his high motor and upside as a playmaker.
Bazemore and Jordan are the two surprises to Frank Vogel’s starting lineup on Tuesday. Each one joined the Lakers this offseason and will need to prove that they’re worthy of a starting spot.
Bazemore clearly showed enough during training camp to beat out other wings such as Talen Horton-Tucker, Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony. The 32-year-old veteran started 18 games for the Golden State Warriors last year where he averaged 7.8 points per game and shot 40.8 percent from three.
Jordan joined the Lakers after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Detroit Pistons and then waived soon after. The high-flying big man will start the game at center, but will likely play just a few minutes before Vogel goes to the bench or inserts Davis in at the position.
Apart from the starting line-up, the Lakers will have many questions to answer over the course of the new season. They’ll start to do so on Tuesday night.
Lakers-Warriors will air on TNT after the conclusion of the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets.
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