During the Lakers’ annual season-opening press conference, head coach JJ Redick seemed to upend offseason expectations by announcing that Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kesslerwere his only guaranteed starters.
Since leaving newcomer Quentin Grimes off the list was more likely JJ doing JJ things than a real signal that the starting backcourt spot is truly up for grabs, here’s how the training camp competition for those two spots may play out, with a heavy emphasis on the likely more available
forward spot.
Guard/point of attack defender
Quentin Grimes
Given Grimes’ two-way skill set and overall talent level, the 26-year-old (brief) former Doncic teammate and LA’s fourth-highest-paid player still seems the overwhelming favorite to land the spot, if not an outright lock.
Add in the strong likelihood that the way-too-comfortable-looking Redickwas indulging in a little news conference ‘coach speak,’ and it would feel downright shocking to see someone else line up defensively next to Austin on opening night.
Matisse Thybulle or Ziaire Williams
If Quentin flames out in training camp or is injured, Ziaire or Matisse could theoretically seize the spot. Unfortunately, Thybulle’s injury-prone nature, questionable readiness to shoulder heavy minutes, and waning ability to defend the fastest guards make JJ starting him seem highly unlikely.
A strong camp from Ziaire might earn him some time there. But LA may need the former top-10 lottery pick to fill another role altogether.
Both guys can do the job, but neither seems likely to steal it from a healthy Grimes.
Cameron Carr
While it’s even less likely that tantalizing rookie guard/wing Cameron Carr will start on opening night, it’s still worth addressing.
The summer league standout looks the part physically and fits the mold of an off-ball, explosive two-way shooter. Carr also has a massive wingspan and elite leaping ability that offer hope he could become a plus defender sooner rather than later.
It is also not crazy to consider JJ’s willingness to give Cameron a shot. In Redick’s first season holding the big clipboard, second-year wing Max Christie ultimately won the starting nod. A season later, JJ dropped Dalton Knecht into the starting five weeks into his rookie campaign.
In reality, given that Grimes is likely a lock and Carr’s defense is ‘still-developing,’ he doesn’t feel like a real candidate to start on Opening Night, or even much this year. But if his upward offensive trajectory continues and he turns his physical gifts into a Christie-style set of plus defensive tools, a year from now may be an entirely different conversation.
Wing/forward defender
Sandro Mamukelashvili or Jarred Vanderbilt
If the choice came down to the most offensively talented player, Mamu would be the easy choice. No other offseason acquisition better meets JJ’s wish list of guys who can dribble, pass, and shoot.
He’s not the elite marksman that Rui Hachimura was. But Sandro’s ability to attack close-outs with force and make quick decisions with the ball far exceeds Hachimura’s seemingly slow processing speed without giving back too much floor-stretching gravity.
If the choice came down to defense, Vando has the best combination of size and strength to battle bigger forwards, while seemingly retaining just enough of his once-elite foot speed to keep up with quicker wings. Jarred’s active hands and defensive playmaking also seem to fit a larger disruptive defensive scheme the front office had in mind when assembling this year’s squad.
Compared to his teammates, the 6’9” frontcourt grinder is also the best per-minute rebounder of the bunch. That skill alone could compound an advantage the team gained when it swapped Marcus Smart (2.8 rebounds per game) for Grimes (3.6) and DeAndre Ayton (8.0) for Walker Kessler (10.8).
Unfortunately for both, basketball isn’t football and playing both sides of the ball matters.
Add in LA’s lack of center depth behind Kessler, slotting Mamu as the team’s top backup five, and Vando’s extreme offensive deficiencies and it still feels like both guys are destined to start the season as reserves.
Jake LaRavia
After opening his career with unserious, lottery-bound teams, Jake built on an encouraging third season with a breakout fourth-year campaign in LA. At least, that’s how it started. Unfortunately, LaRavia’s second-half collapse and even worse playoff outings left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths.
At his best, the high-motor forward looked capable of defending both threes and fours, while also leaking out for quick fast-break finishes or draining the occasional corner three on offense. He also showed an ability to keep the offense moving, (barely) meeting most of JJ’s dribble-pass-shoot edict and earning him more starts than his flawed competitors.
At his worst, the slow-footed tweener looked like a guy suddenly playing real minutes on a playoff-bound team for the first time ever. After appearing in all 82 contests, Jake’s shot disappeared in the postseason, seemingly taking his confidence and overall effectiveness with it.
He could still start, and JJ has shown confidence in him. But LaRavia will likely have to show he’s regained his shot and his mojo to beat out the competition.
Ziaire Williams
Ziaire’s numbers aren’t dramatically different from Jake’s. Plus, he’s never shot above league average from three. Still, an encouraging career-long upward statistical trend and his slowly expanding defensive role suggest the former lottery pick with a tailor-made NBA wing physique may have a real chance.
Offseason reports also claimed Ziaire added weight. If that theoretical muscle translates into real on-court strength, it may help allay concerns that he lacks the requisite heft to shift Luka off big forwards like Paolo Banchero, Kawhi Leonard, Aaron Gordon and old friend LeBron James, just to name a few.
On the downside, Williams is the historically weakest rebounder among the starting forward candidates and the physically weakest overall. This lone trait puts more pressure on the rangy wing to prove he’s gained enough ‘grown man’ strength to play against sturdier players.
As training camp begins, some fans appear to have put their hopes in the comparatively unfamiliar Ziaire over the frustratingly familiar LaRavia. If JJ and his staff share that sentiment and Williams has a breakout October, he may be the best candidate for the job.
Adou Thiero
If Ziaire is too weak, then 6’5” injury-prone Thybulle and the model-thin Carr probably aren’t serious opening-night starting candidates either.
Still, like Carr, Thiero is probably the person the front office hopes will seize the spot long term, simultaneously improving the starting lineup and bolstering the bench.
Adou, however, is in his second year. That’s the same spot Christie found himself when JJ gave him the starter’s job. While that faith proved premature, it earned Max the critical experience needed to reclaim the job later that same season.
This season, it feels like Thiero, who missed much of his rookie campaign to rehab, would have to blow away the entire coaching staff and his veteran teammates throughout camp and preseason before they’d consider signing off on a second-rounder who has barely played in the league starting on day one.
However, if one overzealous rookie Silver Screen and Roll journalist’s bullish Adou prediction and some eye-opening unprompted reports of his rapid summer progress from JJ a week later are correct, Thiero may force his way into the starting five before the season finishes.
Whatever happens, it’s gonna be a fun fight to watch. May the best man (or two) win.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.
