{"id":121515,"date":"2025-02-02T10:46:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T15:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=121515"},"modified":"2025-02-02T10:46:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T15:46:23","slug":"lakers-who-could-replace-davis-in-starting-lineup-after-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/02\/lakers-who-could-replace-davis-in-starting-lineup-after-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Who Could Replace Davis in Starting Lineup After Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours after NBA fans, players and executives were stunned by the <\/span>Lakers-Mavs blockbuster<\/span><\/a>, the focus now shifts to who will enter the starting lineup alongside <\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a>, and\u2014once he\u2019s healthy\u2014<\/span>Luka Doncic<\/span><\/a>. The team already has a plethora of forwards and bigs who have temporarily started in AD\u2019s place, but now\u2014barring another trade\u2014head coach JJ Redick will have to rely on those players for the rest of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers Who Could Replace Davis in Starting Lineup After Trade<\/b><\/h2>\n

Power Forward<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Case for Jarred Vanderbilt<\/b><\/h4>\n

Prior to the deal, the Lakers had leaned toward a defense-first identity. Considering his prowess at picking up opposing stars, along with Doncic\u2019s limitations at stopping the ball, <\/span>Jarred Vanderbilt<\/span><\/a> seems like the ideal candidate to achieve balance in the starting lineup once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 25-year-old forward recently returned to action after missing nearly a year due to foot and knee injuries. His stats don\u2019t exactly turn heads\u20142.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game on 38.5% shooting\u2014but his impact speaks volumes. In his first game back, Vanderbilt recorded four rebounds, three steals and two points in 12 minutes against the Warriors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vando is a player who doesn\u2019t need to score double-digits to make a difference in games. He\u2019s tasked with garnering stops on defense and stopping the other team\u2019s best player, roles that he\u2019s filled to a tee in his time with the Lakers so far. With a lineup that will already have more than enough shot creators when healthy, Vando is the defensive ace who can take pressure off of James, Reaves and Doncic on that side of the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Case for Dorian Finney-Smith<\/b><\/h4>\n

Dorian Finney-Smith<\/span><\/a> has filled a massive hole for the Lakers<\/a> as a 3&D wing. Many had speculated he could start alongside James and Davis in his arrival, but with the latter out the door, there\u2019s a legitimate chance he could do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since crossing the country, DFS has averaged 6.8 points and three rebounds while shooting 49% from the field, nearly 43% from three and 80% from the free-throw line in 13 games (two starts). In his two starts, <\/span>he put up<\/span><\/a> an average of seven points and four rebounds on 75% FG and 50% 3PT.<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple weeks ago, Redick alluded that Finney-Smith\u2019s workload could increase, citing an ankle injury that put him on a minutes restriction upon his arrival to LA.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I think as the season progresses we hope that minute total gets back up to kind of what he was doing in Brooklyn, about 29 or 30 minutes a game,\u201d <\/span>Redick said<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Vanderbilt, Finney-Smith is a standout wing defender who has made stopping the ball a priority of his game. However, unlike Vando, DFS is productive on offense with an ability to make opponents pay from the three-point line. Case in point: between his stints with the Nets and Lakers, Finney-Smith is shooting a career-best 43% from deep this season. The fact he\u2019s kept his perimeter output consistent between both teams is an encouraging sign for the rest of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from DFS\u2019s offensive production, his previous stint with Luka Doncic makes him another viable candidate to replace AD as a starter. The duo played in Dallas from 2018 to 2023, and when Finney-Smith returned to Dallas in 2023, Doncic even predicted the two would reunite again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my guy. I miss him so much, and I know we\u2019re going to play [together] again some day.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Luka Doncic on Dorian Finney-Smith<\/p>\n

— All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs) October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n