The Los Angeles Lakers have revealed their starting lineup for Opening Night ahead of the preseason finale.
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the starting lineup on Friday against the Sacramento Kings in their preseason finale will be the starting lineup for Opening Night against the Golden State Warriors.
JJ Redick, with a wink and a point, conveyed that tonight’s starting lineup will be the starting lineup for the regular season opener. However, he would not reveal tonight’s starters just yet.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 18, 2025
JJ Redick said Friday’s starters will be Lakers’ opening night starters, via @mcten.
Lakers starters Friday:
Luka Doncic
Gabe Vincent
Austin Reaves
Rui Hachimura
Deandre Ayton
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 18, 2025
The Lakers are rolling out a lineup that consists of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura.
Doncic, Ayton and Reaves were guarantees in the starting lineup even before training camp. The other guarantee in the starting lineup was LeBron James, but he will miss the start of the regular season with sciatica in his right side.
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Now it appears that it is Vincent who will replace James, as there were questions as to who it would be.
The Lakers enter the 2025-26 season with high expectations. LA boasts two of the league’s top players, Doncic and James. Although we won’t see that duo until mid-November at the earliest, they have proven to be one of the league’s top duos.
Just behind them is Reaves. The 26-year-old has proven that he is one of the best players in the league. He is coming off the best season of his career, and the expectations are that he will take another leap as he seeks a massive contract next summer.
The Lakers didn’t make the massive trade or two that many expected them to; however, they addressed the center position and signed one of the best on the open market in Ayton.
The center position was the spot the Lakers lacked after trading for Doncic. While the Lakers initially stood afloat after the trade regarding that position, things took a turn for the worse towards the end of the season and especially in the playoffs.
The Lakers were exposed in the playoffs in their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. LA lacked the necessary height to match up with the Timberwolves, which consisted of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
LA is more equipped this season as they search for title No. 18.
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This story will be updated….
