Coach Frank Vogel Divulges Starting Lineup Timeline

Who will be LA's starting five?

Training camp for the Lakers is underway and the first preseason game is set for Sunday in LA, Coach Frank Vogel was naturally asked about when the starting five would be set.

After the Lakers practice on Thursday, Coach Vogel gave a vague timeline of when the starting five players will be made clear. First off, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis are obviously are set in stone. Those three players are absolutely locked in. The other two spots are still up for grabs. 

“I would say we’re certainly not going to have any decisions made before the last two preseason games. Hopefully, we’ll have some direction at that point, but we could still be looking at those last two games. Try one, one way and other, the other way. The first four games, we’ll probably have a lot of guys in and out of the lineup. We won’t be whole in those games. Hopefully, we will be the last two. But like I said, I’m not putting a real timeline on it. Hopefully, we should have some real direction by then.”

This is about what you would expect for this type of decision. The Lakers aren't short on talent, but talent doesn't weigh Vogel's entire decision. Defense and outside shooting are probably the biggest factors here, and a lot of the roster is capable of providing those two key ingredients. Overall vibe and who meshes with who is also in play.

Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Talen Horton-Tucker and Malik Monk, are all viable options to plug into the starting lineup. Those who don't start will be invaluable pieces off the bench.