Why did the Lakers start Vincent? Offense is his biggest advantage, and Smart has become the main competitor.

On October 19, the Lakers have finalized the starting lineup for the regular season opener. They are Doncic, Vincent, Reeves, Rui Hachimura and Ayton. Vincent becomes the fifth confirmed starter. So why did the Lakers start Vincent? Well-known team reporter Buha explained this in a podcast -

Redick chose to start Vincent for the sake of lineup balance. Let Smart take on more playmaking duties on the bench, while Vincent is responsible for shooting in the starting lineup. But sometimes I feel like we focus too much on offense when discussing lineups. I agree that Vincent can provide something that Smart does not have on the offensive end. For example, as mentioned before, he is a more stable shooter and can run to catch and shoot. At present, among the players competing for the fifth starting spot, Vincent is the most reliable on the offensive end.

But the defensive end must be viewed objectively: Vincent is a technical defender with good footwork and strong defensive awareness. He can bypass screens and chase opponents. But the problem is that Vincent is only 1.88 meters, and the limitations brought by his height cannot be ignored. And he doesn't weigh as much as Smart. Smart's official weight is 99 kilograms). Standing next to him, I feel that he is actually heavier, maybe 104 to 107 kilograms. He has been at this weight for most of his career, like a "little tank."

Although Vincent has solid defensive skills and has no problem with footwork, discipline, reading screens, and chasing defenses, as a 1.88-meter perimeter defender, his limitations are obvious. If he only guards point guards, or even some shooting guards, I think that's fine, but he can't guard wing players. What the Lakers need is a player who can defend both outside ball-holding points and wings. At present, the only one who can do this is Vanderbilt.

This is also the reason to support Vanderbilt's starting: He is the Lakers' most comprehensive defensive player and can guard any player from positions 1 to 4 as needed. Smart is better at guarding the wings, while Vincent can only guard the outside ball-holding point or chase the opponent, but cannot guard the wings.

Currently, I think only Vanderbilt and Smart can take on the main defensive tasks for the Lakers. Smart's defensive performance in the preseason was not top-notch, especially when defending in the midfield area. He was not very good at defending opponents after bypassing screens. Instead, he was better at guarding flanks or slower players - he could rely on physical confrontation and use his quick hands to interfere with opponents. So he prefers wing defenders, which puts the Lakers' defense in trouble.

In fact, it is necessary to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each player: Vincent's advantage is offense, which can provide shooting and speed; Smart's advantage is comprehensive defense, as well as certain organizational skills and three-pointers; Vanderbilt has the most comprehensive defense and can defend multiple positions, but has obvious shortcomings in offense. Therefore, the Lakers may choose to start between Vincent and Smart to balance offense and defense. I think Smart is the better player long term and can guard the wing better than Vincent, so if I had to choose, I would lean towards Smart starting. Redick also admitted that it is possible to adjust the starting lineup in the future. Before James returns, if Vincent does not perform well in the early part of the regular season, his starting position may be replaced by Smart.

In addition, I have more confidence in Reeves' defense of the perimeter ball than Hachimura's defense of the wings. So between prioritizing defense on the outside ball-handling point or priority on guarding the wings, I would choose to prioritize guarding the wings - let Smart guard the wings and Reeves guard the outside ball-handling point, instead of letting Vincent guard the outside ball-handling point and Hachimura guard the wings. However, the final arrangement depends on Redick's adjustments.