Jarred Vanderbilt Should Start over Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince amid Lakers Rumors

Anthony Davis may prefer to move to power forward during the 2023-24 season, but it doesn't appear the Los Angeles Lakers will heed his request

Davis has started at center in each of his preseason appearances, which begs the question of who the Lakers will use as their fifth starter heading into the regular season. Lakers coach Darvin Ham has largely been noncommittal in recent comments.

Jaxson Hayes would have been the obvious choice if the Lakers were going to placate Davis and use him more at the 4. Hayes fits the Ja'Vale McGee/Dwight Howard role filled in previous seasons and will likely play extended minutes alongside Davis when the Lakers want to play big.

With Davis seemingly locked in as the starting 5, the decision will come down to Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Taurean Prince to fill in the 4 slot. Hachimura entered the preseason seemingly the favorite after a stellar postseason, but the Lakers have slotted in Prince the last two games.

"He's a vet. True professional," Davis told reporters of Prince. "Shooting the basketball very well, practice, games. Gets his work in. … Defender. He's been great making shots. I'm not sure who the starter is going to be, but I think he's making a strong case for himself."

While Prince and Hachimura both have their cases, Vanderbilt is the most sensible choice in the macro.

Vanderbilt started 24 of his 26 games with the Lakers last season after his midseason trade from the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers' lineup featuring Vanderbilt, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Davis outscored opponents by 37 points in 77 minutes during the regular season, by far their best lineup after the trade deadline. That 5-man unit outscored opponents by a jaw-dropping 20.6 points per 100 possessions, scoring at a rate that would have ranked above the league-leading Sacramento Kings and defending at more than nine points better than the Cleveland Cavaliers' league-leading defensive rating.

Before being trounced by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, it was more of the same in the postseason. Vanderbilt proved to be a stellar complement to James and Davis in the frontcourt, using his 7'1" wingspan to defend above his 6'8" height and pull down rebounds.

Vanderbilt also does not need the ball in his hands on offense, which will make him an ideal fit with Russell, Reaves, James and Davis, all of whom will be well into double-digit shots per game.

The Lakers could better use the scoring prowess of Hachimura, who had moments of high-efficiency scoring brilliance in the postseason, and the floor spacing provided by Prince to offset an otherwise uninspiring bench. Gabe Vincent signed this offseason but hasn't ever impressed in chances to serve as a lead ball handler.