With a star backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers are set up for success on the offensive end of the court, and that could be seen as early as opening night when they play the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors recently tipped their preferred starting lineup for opening night, and though they’ll face the Lakers in another preseason game on Tuesday night, both teams might have to wait until the October 21 matchup to see fully healthy rosters in what will be the first glimpse of competition for both teams.
But with the lineup Golden State is expected to play, the Lakers, and specifically Doncic and Reaves, are already set to have a massive advantage, which could quickly turn into a positive trend for Los Angeles as the 2026-27 NBA season goes on.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic And Austin Reaves Get Good News Before Warriors Game
Though the Warriors’ starting lineup for the preseason contest against the Lakers remains unofficial, head coach Steve Kerr revealed he is likely going to start a combination of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos, and Draymond Green on opening night.
That starting five creates an inherent leg up for Los Angeles, as both Doncic and Reaves are poised to have massive advantages with the matchups they’ll be facing.
As Peter O’Keefe wrote for BlueManHoop.com, the Lakers’ star duo could have a field day against the Warriors guards they’ll be going up against on opening night.
“That starting lineup has been effective through two preseason games, but there’s a clear weakness in point-of- attack defense that Luka Doncic, and even Austin Reaves, can exploit when the two teams face off in just over a week,” he wrote.
Whether it’s any combination of Curry or Podziemski guarding Doncic or Reaves, the Lakers are set to have the edge in the backcourt on the offensive end.
“It’s difficult to see a one-on-one matchup for Doncic not only among the starting lineup, but in the entire rotation that Kerr will have available to him,” O’Keefe added. “Golden State’s two most noted perimeter defenders, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II, might be reasonable matchups for Reaves, yet Doncic is a completely different proposition where the two Warriors reserves will be giving up significant size against the 6’8” superstar.”
Golden State will likely be using several defenders to try to stop Doncic and Reaves, but with the injuries and overall lack of an available lockdown perimeter defender, the Lakers could be set up for a field day on opening night, which could quickly turn into a trend and help Los Angeles become one of the most dangerous backcourt offenses in the league.
Golden State Is Setting Los Angeles Up For Success All Season
As O’Keefe mentioned, the Warriors don’t have a simple answer to stop Doncic, and even if one player stands out above the rest, it’ll give Reaves an even better chance to pick up the scoring load.
“Golden State simply don’t appear to have any reasonable answers for Doncic in a one-on-one matchup, leaving them with a distinct decision to make that could dictate the direction of the game,” he wrote. “The Warriors need to either play Doncic straight up, let him get his points but make sure his teammates don’t get that involved, or throw doubles at him, force the ball out of his hands and make other far less skilled players beat them in advantage situations.”
After the opening night matchup, the Lakers will have a good sense of what to do in games playing against a team like the Warriors, which don’t have two above-average perimeter defenders.
Doncic and Reaves combined for nearly 60 points per game last season, and the expectation is they’ll do the same this year.
Granted, Los Angeles isn’t going up against defenders like Curry and Podziemski on a nightly basis, but there’s not a ton of teams in the NBA with two players who can hold the Lakers’ star duo to off games at the same time.
Perhaps only teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs have two players who can guard Doncic and Reaves 94 feet and have a solid chance at throwing them off their normal form.
However, that’s not going to be happening every game, as the duo has a real chance to give headaches to just about every other franchise when they match up.
The Lakers’ season opener against the Warriors on October 21 will say a lot about the star tandem of Doncic and Reaves, and could quickly show that the offensive games of the two will be a massive advantage for the Lakers this season.
Oh yeah, and if Doncic and Reaves are having off nights, don’t forget about Walker Kessler and the rest of the wing shooters on the roster, who are all poised for strong seasons, especially if opposing teams put an outstretched focus on stopping the two guards.
Lakers Dealt Great Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves News Ahead of Warriors Game