{"id":155014,"date":"2025-08-15T17:05:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T21:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=155014"},"modified":"2025-08-15T17:05:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T21:05:36","slug":"three-key-questions-for-the-lakers-2025-26-rotation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/15\/three-key-questions-for-the-lakers-2025-26-rotation\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Key Questions for the Lakers 2025-26 Rotation"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Lakers fans anticipate the start of the 2025-26 season, there are several questions that head coach JJ Redick and his staff must answer. Most of the team\u2019s offseason acquisitions will aim for decent opportunities, leading to tough decisions even before they take the court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Key Questions for the Lakers 2025-26 Rotation<\/b><\/h2>\n

Who Should Start: Smart or Hachimura?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Marcus Smart<\/span><\/a>\u2019s arrival signals not only a shift in LA\u2019s defensive identity, but also a dilemma over his exact role. Could he remain part of the Lakers\u2019 bench, or does Redick trust him to enter the <\/span>starting lineup<\/span><\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart last earned starters minutes two seasons ago with the Grizzlies. In 20 appearances with the first unit, he averaged 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists on .430\/.313\/.768 splits. Since then, his career was hindered by injuries between the Grizzlies and Wizards, leading to skepticism over if he could return to that form.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the three-time All-Defensive First Team selection and former Defensive Player of the Year boasts skills the Lakers desperately need: elite on-ball defense with a high motor and IQ. He also doesn\u2019t need to be a go-to guy offensively, making him a potentially seamless fit in the Lakers\u2019 starting five.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s also possible that Redick trots out most of the same guys from last season, and that includes <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a>. The 27-year-old averaged 13 points and five rebounds across 59 games (57 starts) and was one of the better players in the team\u2019s first-round exit\u201414.8 points and 4.6 rebounds on 49% shooting from the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

An effective 3-and-D player in the frontcourt, Hachimura has already shown his value to the organization, especially after the chaotic trade deadline. With this season being a contract year, Hachimura has a strong case to remain in the starting five, increase his chemistry with Luka Doncic<\/a>, and <\/span>earn another multi-year deal next summer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hayes or Kleber for Backup C?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Even after signing Ayton and re-signing <\/span>Jaxson Hayes<\/span><\/a>, the Lakers\u2019 center depth remains an <\/span>\u201cunder-the-radar concern,\u201d<\/span><\/a> according to ESPN\u2019s Dave McMenamin. The 25-year-old Hayes has served as a great lob threat for LA, but his postseason struggles and defensive limitations cloud him heading into next season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Hayes will likely assume a familiar backup role next season, does his veteran counterpart have a case for rotational minutes?<\/span><\/p>\n

33-year-old <\/span>Maxi Kleber<\/span><\/a> was part of the February trade for Doncic, but he spent most of the time recovering from a broken foot. He only played five minutes in the Lakers\u2019 season-ending Game 5 loss to the Timberwolves, racking up two points off of free throws. While he may be an afterthought in the eyes of many, the 6\u201911\u201d, 240-pound big man offers more strength and spacing than Hayes, which may give him a slight edge when evaluating the team\u2019s depth in the middle. A recent video of him <\/span>throwing down a windmill dunk<\/span><\/a> has also caught fans by surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

One athletic feat won\u2019t catapult Kleber into consideration, but his <\/span>improved health<\/span><\/a> is a promising sign after some injury-riddled campaigns. He offers a remarkably different skill set from Hayes as a solid perimeter marksman (career 35% 3PT), and his chemistry with Doncic could serve the Lakers well if the two share the court again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kleber\u2019s progress is worth monitoring when the Lakers enter training camp. If Hayes\u2019 past struggles carry into next season, it may be worth exploring some minutes for Kleber in the second unit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could Adou Thiero Get an Opportunity?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Finally, despite a knee injury keeping him out of Summer League, rookie forward <\/span>Adou Thiero<\/span><\/a> is expected to be ready for camp, according to <\/span>The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 21-year-old is considered one of the <\/span>most athletic prospects<\/span><\/a> in this year\u2019s class, and he holds tremendous promise as a <\/span>high-flying wing<\/span><\/a> with <\/span>versatile defensive chops<\/span><\/a>. In a breakout junior campaign with Arkansas, Thiero <\/span>averaged<\/span><\/a> 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals\u2014all on .545\/.256\/.686 splits. He has skills that could easily translate to the league, but like most rookies, it won\u2019t be that easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lakers\u2019 frontcourt is full of other talent, and Thiero would have to compete with <\/span>Dalton Knecht<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Jarred Vanderbilt<\/span><\/a> for minutes. Still, Woike says the rookie could get some chances if his defense is up to par.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>As far as his role? It\u2019s gonna be crowded. But it\u2019s sort of a universal truth in the NBA. If young players want to get on the court, you do it by making an impact on the defensive end. And Thiero has the tools to make an impact on the defensive end.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For now, it\u2019s likely that Thiero shuttles between the Lakers and their G League affiliate. However, a great showing in camp could put him on Redick\u2019s radar early in the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Lakers fans anticipate the start of the 2025-26 season, there are several questions that head coach JJ Redick and his staff must answer. Most of the team\u2019s offseason acquisitions will aim for decent opportunities, leading to tough decisions even before they take the court. Three Key Questions for the Lakers 2025-26 Rotation Who Should […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":154260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62],"tags":[50155,4556,1962,1133,428,2057,1749],"class_list":["post-155014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-adou-thiero","tag-austin-reaves","tag-jaxson-hayes","tag-luka-doncic","tag-marcus-smart","tag-maxi-kleber","tag-rui-hachimura"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155014"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155023,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155014\/revisions\/155023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}