Lakers News: Darvin Ham Hints At Rethinking Starters After Injured Vets Return

Could we see a shake in the starting lineup once these two key Lakers return from injury?

Your Los Angeles Lakers picked up their first road win of the season on Friday night against their division rivals, the Phoenix Suns. The 122-119 final tally represented a much-needed victory for the Purple and Gold, ending their three-game losing streak. LA will now look to start a win streak, which could be behind a new starting lineup. 

Reaves came off the bench on Friday night for the first time this season, and it seemed to work out. The 25-year-old was not pleased with the move, but he still played 35 minutes, including all 12 in the 4th quarter. Reaves was his old self; however, head coach Darvin Ham revealed that he may not be done changing things regarding the starting lineup. 

After injured point guard Gabe Vincent and power forward Jarred Vanderbilt return to the team's active roster from their respective ailments, Ham seemed to suggest he may take stock of the first five once again, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Gabe Vincent is dealing with a knee injury and will be out for at least two more weeks. As for Jarred Vanderbilt, he is still dealing with a heel injury and has yet to play this season; however, that could all change in the coming days. 

Vincent started in half of his games last season as a member of the Miami Heat, 34 out of the 68 games he played. This season, he's only played in four games but has come off the bench in all of them. If Ham decides to start Gabe, will it be Reaves still coming off the bench, or will it be their point guard in D'Angelo Russell? 

Vanderbilt was a common fixture in the starting lineup last season down the stretch, and he's shown that he can defend the best from the opposing team. That would mean either Taurean Prince or now Cam Reddish moving to the bench to make room for Vanderbilt.  

Ham and the staff will have a lot of work to do if he wants to make these changes. We'll see how it all plays out, but these are good problems to have as it means LA is healthy and they have great depth. 

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