Heading into the 2024-2025 season and with the acquisition of new Lakers coaching staff, there is debate as to what the starting five should be. Head coach JJ Redick recently revealed the starting lineup to Zach Lowe on his “The Lowe Post” podcast. Redick’s lineup will consist of the same starters that ended the 2023-2024 season. That five is D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. This five finished the season going 23-10. For the season ahead and the return of several players for the purple and gold, we will see what starting lineups are to be used. There a few to think of that could be efficient lineups to use heading into the new season.
JJ Redick reveals the 2024-25 Lakers starting lineup, per @ZachLowe_NBA
What will this squad's record be this season? 👀 pic.twitter.com/1wO5t0Im5i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2024
Lineups to Use for Lakers This Season
General lineup strategy and parameters for the Lakers moving into this season is keeping the main core in the starting lineup. Last season, the core that was consistently in the starting lineup was James, Davis, Reaves, and Russell. The fifth starter should be one of the two trustworthy forwards who have both had their fair share of starts, Hachimura or Jarred Vanderbilt. However, these are potential pairings of lineups that can be used throughout the duration of each and every game for the purple and gold.
Lakers Lineup 1: Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Jarred Vanderbilt, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Implementing Max Christie into this lineup might add some spark. Trying out a new backcourt duo with Reaves, while adding Christie’s perimeter defense, could be a beneficial addition to the lineup. We are expected to see increased usage for Christie going into his third year. Christie complimenting Reaves in the backcourt is something that could work wonders for the Lakers moving into the new season. The interior defense of AD & Bron along with the perimeter defense of the backcourt and Vanderbilt could be a quite impactful lineup. This lineup has a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor.
Lakers Lineup 2: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Christian Wood, Anthony Davis
This lineup consists of the regular starters but with the third frontcourt spot being Christian Wood. The Lakers faithful has wanted a frontcourt that can be dominant defensively. A lineup that is reminiscent of the 2020 Lakers team. The Lakers struggled to secure a lot of offensive and defensive rebounds in the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. This was also a problem throughout the season. Having another big like Wood alongside James and Davis in the frontcourt proved to be quite dominant last season.
The Last Word
With that being said, there are still many variations of lineups to try for the purple and gold. We saw Darvin Ham try out many lineups and expect the same with newly acquired head coach, JJ Redick. The Lakers have struggled defensively in games and struggled tremendously on the glass. As Wood and Vanderbilt were out at the end of the season, the Lakers needed help on securing rebounds and bolstering their defense. By adding Christie and Wood to the regular starters in these lineups, they add more size while not entirely losing a lot of offense. Expect those two lineups to be used more frequently in certain lineups and matchups when the season is to start.
