Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is trying to sort out his starting lineup around LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and, most likely, Russell Westbrook. After practice wrapped on Friday — the fourth day of training camp — Ham provided some early insight into what he's thinking, at least thus far.
Ham told reporters that the most-used starting lineup through the first week of practice has featured Westbrook, LeBron, AD, plus Kendrick Nunn at the shooting guard spot and Damian Jones at center. However, Ham clarified that nothing is set in stone. On Wednesday, he said he's going to tinker throughout the preseason.
“I’m just looking at everything,” Ham said. “I see what fits with a small lineup, with Bron at the 4, AD at the 5, the traditional lineup. We haven’t paired Russ and (Patrick Beverley) together just yet, but we’ve been throwing out all types of lineups together out there. K-Nunn has been with some. Damian Jones and Wenyen Gabriel, Thomas Bryant — we’ve been rotating people all over the place just to see.”
“But it just comes down to mixing and matching players. They’ve adjusted to it well and kept it rolling, and made the best of it. It’s been a good camp thus far.”
Ham said he wants to have “three or four” lineups for games, and “two to three solid ones.” Ham noted that Austin Reaves and Beverley have gotten some first-team run this week, too.
That Nunn and Jones have gotten the initial nods shouldn't come as a total surprise. Jones provides valuable athleticism, length, rim-running, and rim-protection, and he was effective in a brief stint as the Lakers' starting center in 2020. In closing lineups, Davis will slide to 5.
Nunn was supposed to be a key piece for the Lakers last season but never made his debut due to a bone bruise. Finally, he's “100 percent” healthy and a “full go”, and his performance has been encouraging, by all accounts. The combo guard has averaged 15.0 points per game in his career and owns the highest career three-point percentage on the roster (36.4).
Reaves on Kendrick Nunn: “Kendrick today was killing, I don’t think he missed a shot all day.“
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 30, 2022
Whether Westbrook will start for the Lakers when the 2022-23 season tips off on Oct. 18 remains an open and fascinating question. Ham has been non-committal about awarding Westbrook the job, instead challenging him to beat out Beverley, Dennis Schroder, and possibly Nunn or Reaves for the gig. Ham wants to see Westbrook (along with everybody else) display defensive effort and embrace a team-first role before naming opening-night starters.
“We’re a ways away,” Ham said at Media Day when asked if Russ will start. “We have several options. We’ll see. We have more than enough options that we’re comfortable with.”
For Ham, who closes is more important than who opens.
“At the end of the day, it’s really minutes. People get so caught up in who’s starting and this that and the third. I think it’s really the minutes. And for me, it’s about who finishes the game as well. That’s almost just as important, if not more important, than who starts.”
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