Lakers HC JJ Redick Hints at Major Starting Lineup Changes Around Luka Doncic

The Lakers will have to reconfigure their starting lineup now that Luka Doncic is on the roster.

Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick pose for photos at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers made what many consider the most shocking trade in NBA history by trading Anthony Davis and Max Christie to Dallas for Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber.

Bringing a 25-year-old First-team All-NBA player is an incredible get for the Lakers. He is already a top-three player in the league and will continue to be for years.

Now that the Lakers have Doncic on the team, they have to wait for him to get healthy. He suffered a calf strain on Christmas Day and hasn't played since.

Doncic will have to wait until this weekend at the earliest to make his Lakers debut. When he does, the team will have a new starting lineup to complement him.

Read more: Lakers Beat Clippers, How Many Points Did Bronny James Score?

The Lakers have to figure out what the best lineup will be when Doncic comes back. Redick hasn't indicated what that lineup will be quite yet.

JJ Redick said he is open to making larger changes to the Lakers’ starting lineup after they traded away their two best starting defenders in Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Luka Doncic, of course, will start, but he said he and his staff will evaluate the entire group.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 5, 2025

Of course, there is still a chance that the Lakers make another deal before Doncic comes back. The trade deadline is on Thursday, so they could make a move for a starting center before then.

That would mean that the starting lineup would even be different from what it looks like today. Against the Clippers, the Lakers started LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jaxson Hayes, and Austin Reaves.

Once Doncic is ready to play, there's a chance that Reaves could move to the bench. That would make the most sense when it comes to the defensive makeup of the team.

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The Lakers will still likely have a new starting center in the next few days to kick Hayes back down to the bench, too. Doncic, as great of an offensive player as he is, he is not a good defensive player.

That means that the Lakers have to put as many good defensive players around him and James as possible. Of course, his elite offensive skills make it well worth it to make this trade.

So far this season, Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. He is also shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from behind the 3-point line.

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