The Los Angeles Lakers still haven't named their starting small forward for opening night against the Denver Nuggets next Tuesday. Anthony Davis certainly wouldn't oppose Taurean Prince getting the nod.
Davis commended Prince for his preseason showing after Lakers' practice on Tuesday. Since fouling out of the preseason opener in 13 minutes, the veteran 3-and-D has shined amid the Lakers' perimeter shooting barrage. Prince — who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal in July — has started in each of the past four tune-ups and has converted 11 of his 20 attempts from downtown.
Just another beautiful Skip Pass by D’angelo Russell to Taurean Prince for 3. pic.twitter.com/qwv6TE8LHV
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) October 12, 2023
“He's a vet. True professional,” Davis said about the 29-year-old. “Shooting the basketball very well, practice, games. Gets his work in. … Defender. He's been great making shots. I'm not sure who the starter is going to be, but I think he's making a strong case for himself.”
Prince is competing with Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt for the gig. Hachimura — the highest-paid of the three — offers a larger offensive repertoire and size. Prince, a career 37.2% 3-point shooter, provides imperative spacing around LeBron James and AD, along with quality wing defense. Vanderbilt is the most valuable and versatile defender of the group, but he's nursing a sore left heel and may miss the start of the regular season.
Darvin Ham playfully “next question”-ed an inquiry on the competition on Tuesday.
“I don’t know, we’ll see. Still got a few days for it to play out. We’ll see. Sometimes it’s circumstantial. (Ham said before the preseason opener that he “definitely” knew who the starting 3 would be; it's unclear if he had Prince in mind all along or if Vanderbilt's injury altered his plans.)
Darvin Ham is still unwilling to name his 5th starter for opening night, despite my best efforts. Seems pretty clear it’s between Taurean Prince and the incumbent, Jarred Vanderbilt. If Vando (heel) is cleared Friday, he’ll still have 3-4 days to ramp up before DEN pic.twitter.com/0sdONwy8cB
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 17, 2023
“I’m ready for whatever,” Prince said last week. “I started my first three, four years in the league, went to a bench role and then I’ve started throughout the last few seasons for every team I’ve been on, multiple games. I think I have a high winning record in those starts, just whatever is best for the team in general. Just coming off the bench, my occupation doesn’t change.”
Hachimura, meanwhile, is more focused on being on the floor to close ballgames.
The Lakers are planning on play their rotation for upwards of three quarters in the preseason finale vs. the Phoenix Suns on Thursday in Palm Springs, per Ham, so we should have a pretty good idea who'll get the nod in Denver.
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