Lakers coach JJ Redick leaves fifth starter open before opener
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The gist
Lakers coach JJ Redick started Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler in the preseason finale.
The fifth spot is still unsettled, so the opening-night five remains unclear.
Background
The Los Angeles Lakers are an NBA team, and JJ Redick is their head coach. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are the three players Redick has treated as established starters, while the other two spots were left open to competition in training camp. After the departures of LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers had no experienced power forward, so Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero and Sandro Mamukelashvili all got a look there. The team had not been healthy enough this preseason to try a potential starting five until the Oct 16 finale against the Denver Nuggets.
How it unfolded
- Oct 5, 2026Ziaire Williams played for the Lakers in a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
- Oct 13, 2026The Golden State Warriors beat the Lakers 101-89 in a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
- Oct 15, 2026Redick said Williams had fully participated in practice after a foot issue interrupted his preseason.
- Oct 16, 2026The Lakers started Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams alongside Doncic, Reaves and Kessler against the Nuggets in the preseason finale at Crypto.com Arena. Williams played 11 minutes and scored 14 points on 5/6 shooting.
- Oct 16, 2026Lakers broadcaster John Ireland's projected opening-night lineup (Doncic, Reaves, Grimes, Williams, Kessler) was shared in a Lakers Daily post.
- Oct 19, 2026The Lakers released Dalton Knecht, confirming the final roster entering the regular season.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Redick said he is "still open to both" on Quentin Grimes starting or coming off the bench, adding that Grimes "is gonna start a lot of games for us" but "I don't know who our base starting group is yet."
- Analysts
- Broadcaster John Ireland said Grimes was a lock with Doncic, Reaves and Kessler and that he heard through "back channels" that Williams would be the fifth starter.
- Caution
- A Heavy depth chart listed only Doncic, Reaves and Kessler as clear-cut starters, with Grimes/Williams at small forward and LaRavia/Mamukelashvili at power forward.
- Support
- Williams said it is "up to the staff now" and that he is "ready to go as long as they say I am."
Still unverified
John Ireland's projected lineup is not an official announcement from Redick and does not establish that the competition has ended or that the same five would close games; Jake LaRavia and Quentin Grimes are not confirmed to start. Redick also left open whether Doncic, Reaves, Thybulle, Williams and Kessler would start against the Warriors on Wednesday.