Former Washington Wizards superstar John Wall believes that one of the first things that the Los Angeles Lakers need to address to stop their current slide is to fix their starting lineup.
According to Wall, the Lakers’ first five are loaded offensively. However, none of the five are elite defenders and that’s what’s hurting them right now because they are usually off to slow starts and end up playing catch-up.
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“One move I love to see is taking Rui out of the starting lineup, adding Marcus Smart there – I think a guy that’s gonna be able to guard the best player, get them space, and get them shots. That’s what they need, cuz Rui is great, he does the other little things, the intangibles, but he’s not supposed to be guarding Kevin Durant or the best player on the opposing team,” Wall stated.
“I think this is what you got, Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt for. One of those guys needs more minutes because those hustle, play hard every play and get those extra effort plays, those two guys would do that,” explained Wall.
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Worst starting lineup in the league?
The Lakers’ starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton has been JJ Redick’s most-used starting five so far this season, at seven games and with the Lakers having a 4-3 record when they open games.
But to his credit, JJ has tinkered with his starting unit already this early in the year, although partly due to injuries, using 16 different fives in just 29 games played, including 11 lineups that have started together only one time so far.
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To Wall’s point, though, the quintet of Luka, AR, Bron, Rui and Ayton hasn’t only started seven times together but has played in a total of 84:18 minutes of playing time this season, the most by any five-man combo for the Lakers. Collectively, that group has a net rating of -16.2 points per game and a -6.7 in steals.
The Lakers’ starting five ranks last in many statistical departments
Also, the Lakers’ starting lineup, per Fox Sports’ Nick Wright, regardless of who JJ put there, ranks dead-last in offensive rating, defensive rating, opponents’ field goals percentage, opponents’ 3-point percentage and net rating, showing how terrible they are on the defensive end of the court.
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“You can’t have five guys in the starting lineup that don’t defend at a high level. You’ve got to be able to guard. We’re not trying to blame Rui or pick him over everybody, but he’s not supposed to be guarding Kevin Durant or a Cade Cunningham on a nightly basis. That’s what you got, a Marcus Smart of Jarred Vanderbilt for. So you need your best defender out there to help your offense. You don’t need no more scoring,” he added.
Wall is correct that Redick needs a better job of finding the right starting five for his team because they can’t always fall behind early and hope to come back and win games every time. Inserting a defensive guy like Smart or Vando would be a good try.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.