Who Should Be Lakers' Fifth Starter This Year?

Valentina Martinez | Aug 11, 2024

Dec 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) play for the rebound against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt are competing to be the fifth man for the Los Angeles Lakers when the 2024 season begins.

Both Hachimura and Vanderbilt have unique strengths they bring to the rotation on opposite sides of the ball.

"The Lakers have four cemented four starting spots, from my understanding and it's Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reeves and D'Angelo Russell," Jovan Buha of The Athletic said. "That fifth spot comes down to Rui Hachimura versus Jared Vanderbilt and it is a matter of preference, really. I think you can make a case for either player."

With Hachimura as the starter, the Lakers finished the season 22-0. The forward is an auxiliary offensive weapon for Los Angeles when he is on the court.

Though he checks all the boxes on offense, the drawback to starting Hachimura is on the other side of the ball. NBA veteran LeBron James would be the other forward on the court which means Hachimura would have the responsibility of guarding the opposing team's top scorer on the wing.

This is a reasonable ask from Los Angeles since James will be turning 40-years-old and his production will no longer be where it used to be. Whether or not Hachimura can fulfill that role is doubtful. 40 years old

Hachimura has historically struggled to guard quick and versatile shooters. This is where the case to start Vanderbilt comes in.

He is the strongest perimeter defender on the Lakers roster. Vanderbilt also adds much needed length and speed to the rotation.

In the 2022-23 season, Los Angeles was 17-7 with him as the fifth starter. The disadvantage to starting Vanderbilt is that he is an offensive stalemate.

His inability to score was on full display during the Lakers playoff series in the 2023 Western Conference finals.

"The problem is you are putting somewhat of a ceiling on your offense. It's really like an offense defense calculus," Buha said. "With Rui, we're just going to outscore people with these five players and you're going to really struggle to match up with this front court.

You don't have three bigs or forwards that can match up with Rui (Hachimura), LeBron (James) and A.D (Anthony Davis). There's no hiding spot against that lineup, but defensively, you are asking for Austin and Rui to take on these primary assignments." ,

Hachimura and Vanderbilts each have had solid outings as fifth man for the Lakers, but the final decision of who will get the starting position is largely based on what the Lakers are prioritizing this season. a

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