![\"Golden](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/golden-state-warriors-v-los-angeles-lakers-los-angeles-california-october-1-e1789908805370.jpg\")
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 21: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during a 119-109 Warriors win in the season opening game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on October 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
There are multiple pressing questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> that are still unanswered, much to the chagrin of fans. Perhaps the biggest concern ahead of the new season is which player the Lakers will turn to as the fifth and final starter. As team insider Jovan Buha recently pointed out, there are only four players who are decided starters at this time.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe there are four starting locks: Luka Doncic<\/a>, Austin Reaves<\/a>, Walker Kessler<\/a> and Quentin Grimes<\/a>. I think they need someone who can defend multiple positions, including some of the bigger wings and forwards, someone who can complement Luka and Walker Kessler on the defensive glass \u2026 I could make a case for as many as six players: Jake LaRavia<\/a>, Ziaire Williams<\/a>, Sandro Mamukelashvili<\/a>, Jarred Vanderbilt<\/a>, Adou Thiero<\/a> and Matisse Thybulle<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Of those six players who are candidates to win the final starting job, perhaps the two most-considered players among fans and analysts are LaRavia and the newly-signed Williams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lakers Expected to Turn to Williams as Final Starter<\/p>\n \n Williams, along with fellow newcomer Sandro Mamukelashvili, have generated plenty of excitement among fans this offseason, one for his outstanding play for the Georgian national team and the other for allegedly putting on a ton of muscle. While both players have the individual upside, Lakers Nation\u2019s Daniel Starkland believes Williams is the clear option to be inserted into the starting lineup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of the options are perfect, so I would go with Ziaire Williams as he gives the Lakers the best mix of offense and defense,\u201d Starkland said. \u201cWilliams is one of the best point-of-attack defenders on the roster and is said to have put on some muscle this offseason, which would help him guard bigger wings as well. In a starting lineup with Doncic and Reaves, someone is going to have to take on those assignments and Williams should be able to handle it. On the offensive end, Williams has improved his jump shot to the point where teams can no longer considers him a liability they can ignore. And as long as that is true and he keeps improving, the 25-year-old may be the best option to round out that starting group.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakers Nation\u2019s Corey Hansford agrees, saying Williams \u201ccan be the primary defender on the opposition\u2019s bigger wing\u201d and allows Mamukelashvilil to come off the bench alongside another proven productive reserve in Collin Sexton<\/a>, another Lakers pick up in free agency.<\/p>\n Can Williams Rise and Shine for L.A.?<\/p>\n Williams has the tools to prove himself as a Laker. The team picked him up for cheap and expects him to considerably out-perform his contract, considering he is only 25 and is coming off the highest scoring season of his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plus, he seems to have the drive to make the most of getting to play for a hopeful championship contender.<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought it was a great opportunity,\u201d Williams said of his decision to join the Lakers in free agency. \u201cBeing that big wing, versatile player that they needed, I just thought it was a great opportunity for me to be a Laker. Even if the same team was in New Orleans or Milwaukee, wherever \u2014 just the opportunity that was here and the team that they had, I just thought it was the best fit. And then just being back home in L.A. is the cherry on top. Being able to play in front of my family and my friends, and I\u2019m super excited.\u201d<\/p>\n With training camp around the corner, it is looking more unlikely that the Lakers will make another move to shore up the weak points of their roster. That means they are likely to bank on internal help to address the positions of need, and Williams has the opportunity to prove the Lakers never needed to explore another addition after signing him in free agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 21: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles during a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":899144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-899143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=899143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/899144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=899143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=899143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=899143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Brooklyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/brooklyn-nets-v-golden-state-warriors-san-francisco-california-march-25.jpg\")
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 MARCH 25: Ziaire Williams #1 of the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> reacts after a play against the Golden State Warriors<\/a> during the first half at Chase Center on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelley L Cox\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n