The Los Angeles Lakers have made a few significant additions this offseason, including center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart. As a result, there are some questions about what their starting lineup will look like when the 2025-26 season gets started.
Last season, after the Luka Doncic trade, their regular starting lineup consisted of Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes. Ayton will be replacing Hayes in their starting five, but some wonder if Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, could move into the starting five as well.
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According to one league source, Hachimura is expected to retain his starting spot, while Smart and fellow newcomer Jake LaRavia will anchor Los Angeles’ bench unit.
“A league source told Lakers Daily that Redick is expected to start Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura, James and Ayton next season and have Smart, LaRavia, Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent run the second unit,” wrote Ashish Mathur.
While Smart is 31 years of age and has had some mild to moderate injuries in recent years, plenty of people expect him to make a significantly positive impact on the Lakers in multiple ways. LaRavia, meanwhile, is expected to infuse the squad with some accurate 3-point shooting and perhaps a little defense of his own.
LaRavia, a 23-year-old 6-foot-7 forward, made 42.3% of his 3-point attempts this past season while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. Shortly after signing with the Lakers, he said he sees himself as a “3-and-D connector type player” on the team.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: NBA source on Lakers’ expected starting lineup for 2025-26 season