JJ Redick threw everyone for a loop with the Lakers’ starting five on Friday, and the results against the Golden State Warriors were rough. The Warriors took down the Lakers 101-89 in that preseason game in Las Vegas, and what really stood out was the unexpected group Redick rolled out. Until Friday, the Lakers hadn’t even been healthy enough in preseason to try a potential starting five, and when they finally did, Redick played a total curveball.
Redick’s Wild Starting Five Shakes Things Up
We all knew Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler were locked in for 60% of the starting spots. The buzz was that Quentin Grimes would grab one of the last two, leaving just one spot up in the air. But Redick flipped the script. Friday’s starting five was Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, and Luka Dončić. Redick said he was trying to surround his “Big 3” with 3-and-D wings in Williams and Thybulle.
So what’s up with Grimes not starting after he’d been in every game until then? Redick admits he hasn’t made his final decision on who the base starters will be, but part of the thinking for Grimes coming off the bench is to spell Luka or AR and keep two solid ballhandlers on the floor at all times. This makes some sense, especially with Collin Sexton out, which has forced the Lakers to dig deep into their bench for ballhandling, even rolling out Bronny James for minutes that have just gone poorly. It feels like this whole new lineup might just be a stopgap until Sexton gets healthy.
The Big Gamble With Big Consequences
Look, preseason is for experimenting, and there’s definitely some logic in putting wings and athleticism around Luka and Reaves. But man, this lineup comes with some serious drawbacks. It puts a huge burden on Luka and Reaves to create almost all the shots. Teams are going to know exactly what’s up: they’ll sag off Williams and Thybulle defensively, completely clogging up the paint.
The whole thing hinges on whether Williams and Thybulle can actually consistently knock down enough threes to force defenses to respect them as shooters. Because what we saw on Friday was exactly what we feared: teams will blitz Luka and Reaves on ball screens and just dare the rest of the Lakers to beat them. That lineup against the Nuggets on Friday looked poor right from the start. It’s an interesting gamble from Redick, but the big question is whether he’s actually willing to take this kind of risk into the regular season. If he is, Luka and Reaves better be ready to carry a heavy load.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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