Lakers News: Anthony Davis Seems To Have Preference For Fifth LA Starter

Ahead of your Los Angeles Lakers' opening day contest with the Denver Nuggets in less than a week, the question since the summer of who will round out the Lakers' starting lineup alongside D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, will soon be answered.

While an injury to forward Jarred Vanderbilt may cause him to miss the first game of the season and potentially longer, eliminating him from contention, there's a few other players who could slot into that small forward position, including Rui Hachimura and Taurean Prince. Alternatively, the Lakers could start Christian Wood at the 4 and have LeBron play the 3, or even Jaxson Hayes at the 5 and have AD play the 4 and LeBron play the 3.

There are plenty of options, and this is a great problem to have (as it means tremendous depth), but when asked about a new Lakers addition's fit, Anthony Davis seemed to tip his hand with regards to his preference for that fifth starting role. Khobi Price of The Orange County Register was on the scene.

Anthony Davis on Taurean Prince's fit: "He's a vet. True professional...I'm not sure who the starter is going to be, but I think he's making a strong case for himself." pic.twitter.com/7HAFgvCl9Q
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 17, 2023

Clearly, AD seems to have a preference about who he'd like to start alongside this season. I agree with AD, and think that Prince would be a perfect fit alongside the confirmed starters. Let's dive into why:

For starters (no pun intended), Prince is a prototypical 3&D wing, that shoots the 3-point shot well while also being a solid perimeter defender that provides some switchability.

Every contending team in the league has a piece of that sort, as when you rattle off teams like the Nuggets, Celtics, Bucks, Warriors, Heat, etc., you notice that each team has at least one player who fits that mold (Caldwell-Pope, Tatum/White, Crowder, Wiggins, Richardson/Martin).

Having Prince out there as opposed to Vanderbilt or running multiple bigs is also better for spacing, as he's a better 3-point shooter than Vando and Jaxson Hayes are, which enables the offense to drive to the basket easier and results in less clogged lanes.

The lineup is bound to fluctuate, however, whether it's due to injury, fit, or related issues. For now though, I think Prince will trot out there with the the 4 returning starters next Tuesday.

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