Taurean Prince is Ideal Complement for LeBron James, Anthony Davis in Lakers' Lineup

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Taurean Prince to one-year, $4.5 million deal this offseason as an under-the-radar depth move, but he is going to be far from under-the-radar right out of the gate as the season starts.

In fact, he is going to be front and center as a starter against the reigning champions.

Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters Prince will be in the starting lineup when the Lakers begin their season Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets. Ham explained the decision was made in part because Jarred Vanderbilt is dealing with a heel injury, but it answers some questions about who will join LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell on the floor.

Prince has bounced around from the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves since he entered the league in 2016, but this starting opportunity with the Lakers is his best chance to make himself more of a household name among NBA fans.

And he will take advantage of it.

For one, the best way for role players on the wing to fit in alongside James and Davis is by knocking down their open three-pointers. There may not be a one-two punch in the league that draws the defense into the lane more than the James and Davis combination, so there will be no shortage of opportunities for the others to connect from deep.

Prince made 38.1 percent of his three-pointers in Minnesota last season and capitalized on similar spacing created by Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. He made 40 percent as recently as 2020-21 and is someone who can make defenses pay for committing too many players to the paint to cut off James' drives and Davis' scoring chances.

When writing about the battle to become the fifth starter between Prince, Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura, Jovan Buha of The Athletic highlighted that ability by noting "Prince is the best shooter by a significant margin, an important box to check in a James-Davis frontcourt."

He is more than just a three-point shooter, though, and his defensive versatility will be important in keeping the 38-year-old James fresh throughout the season.

Opponents shot 2.4 percent worse than their normal averages from within 10 feet of the basket when Prince defended them last season, per NBA.com. He possesses the physicality to go against bigger players, which means James and Davis won't have to battle as much in the lane and on the blocks.

Prince can also play the power forward in smaller lineups or small forward in bigger lineups, giving Ham more options in crunch time depending on the matchup.

This is a championship-or-bust season for the Lakers, who are always under the spotlight. But not even that should be a problem for the versatile Prince, who has playoff experience in three different seasons with the Hawks and Timberwolves.

Look for him to use his three-point shooting and defensive ability to make a statement early in the season with this starting chance.

Los Angeles faces the Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings in its first three games and will also play the L.A. Clippers and Suns again in the first 10 contests. All of those teams are Western Conference contenders and potential playoff matchups, and seeding will be on the line each time.

Prince will likely be asked to guard the likes of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and others during that stretch, and preventing them from completely taking over could make the difference for the Lakers in these early tests.

With his shooting and defense, Prince complements James and Davis well. He will prove that as a starter in the initial stretch of the season and maintain an important role throughout the campaign for the potential title contenders.