Lakers HC Shares Starting Lineup For Regular Season Opener With Notable Caveat

The Los Angeles Lakers are meeting the Denver Nuggets in the season opener and head coach Darvin Ham has the best starting lineup.

The Lakers lost the Western Conference Finals to the Nuggets and they are ready to fix the damage and beat the Nuggets. Ham made a few changes to his lineup and fans are surprised.

“Darvin Ham says Taurean Prince will start at small forward on opening night,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic posted on X on October 21. “He says it’s partly circumstantial due to Jarred Vanderbilt’s injury.”

Lakers have a strong starting lineup

Vanderbilt is day to day due to the heel injury he deals with. He played in just one preseason game and the Lakers did beat the Golden State Warriors in that one.

Prince averaged 9.3 points while shooting 45.8% from beyond the arc in the preseason.

🎯 Taurean 🎯 pic.twitter.com/tCTTZdQMJ2

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 14, 2023

“He’s fit right in,” D’Angelo Russell said via Lakers Fam on October 15. “Offensively he’s done what he’s always done: being aggressive behind the arc, attack closeouts, do it efficiently. He’s got a lot to his game. He’s not just a shooter. Then on the defensive end, he’s a fearless competitor. … He does everything.”

The Lakers offered Prince a one-year deal worth $4.45 million. He played with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lakers could benefit from his experience with the team.

Rob Pelinka got Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz in February and offered him a four-year deal worth $48 million.

Vandebilt averaged 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 26 games with the Lakers in the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Lakers added enough depth to the roster and signed a few players who can contribute to the game. Who will carry the load this season?

“I feel really, really good about what we did,” Reaves said, per Sam Yip of HoopsHype on August 9. “Those pieces fit really well with what we kinda need because we lacked that last year. Overall, everybody’s competitive, and we kinda got that taste last year of running it back and trying to win a championship.”