/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68557692/1230168837.0.jpg)
Barring any last-minutes injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to go into their regular season opener against the LA Clippers on Tuesday with a clean injury report.
After the Lakers’ practice on Sunday, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that all of his players were full participants in practice, including Dennis Schröder, who didn’t play against the Phoenix Suns on Friday because of a mild ankle sprain he suffered on Wednesday.
With a clean injury report, Vogel will be able to roll out his preferred starting lineup on opening night. Which five players will they be? We’re going to have to wait and see.
“We’re gonna hold the starting lineup and reveal it on Tuesday night before the game,” Vogel said.
At this point, it seems like LeBron James and Anthony are the only two players with a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup. Outside of James and Davis, the player with the closest thing to a sure spot in the starting lineup is probably Marc Gasol, who’s the only true center on the roster.
If I had to guess, the remaining two spots will go to Dennis Schröder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the latter of whom has expressed his desire to start after coming off of the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder in each of the last two seasons.
Wesley Matthews also deserves consideration, but for now, it looks like he’ll be battling for backup guard minutes with Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker and Quinn Cook, and soaking up the minutes behind James and Kyle Kuzma at the 3.
The Lakers and Clippers will tip-off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, on TNT. The starting lineup will be revealed shortly before then.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.