Lakers vs. Warriors: What to watch on opening night

The Los Angeles Lakers enter opening night with a new-look roster and an immediate question for JJ Redick: Which five players take the floor first?

Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors begins the process of establishing a rotation after a preseason spent evaluating combinations. Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler provide the foundation, but the pieces around them will shape how L.A. plays.

Collin Sexton’s absence adds another consideration. The guard was downgraded to out with a right soleus strain, leaving the Lakers without one of their options to create offense off the bench.

Here are three things to watch as L.A. opens its season.

Who starts alongside Dončić, Reaves and Kessler?

The biggest lineup question entering Wednesday surrounds the two spots next to the Lakers’ established trio.

Quentin Grimes made a strong case throughout the preseason with his contributions on both ends. His ability to defend perimeter players and work without dominating the ball makes him a natural option alongside Dončić and Reaves. 

Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle started in the preseason finale, giving Redick a look at a group with more perimeter length and defensive pressure. Sandro Mamukelashvili offers another dimension through his passing, quick decisions and ability to initiate offense after defensive rebounds.

Watch the closing lineup, too. Redick’s first substitution and late-game choices could reveal as much about his priorities as the starting five.

Can the second unit connect without Sexton?

Sexton’s absence makes the connection between the starters and reserves especially important.

The question extends beyond who replaces his minutes. How will the Lakers create advantages when Dončić or Reaves rests, and who keeps possessions moving once the initial action stalls?

Staggering the two guards would give reserve combinations an established creator. From there, the supporting players must provide useful spacing, timely cuts and quick decisions rather than allowing possessions to become stationary.

Mamukelashvili’s passing could help connect those groups. Bringing Grimes off the bench gives them a huge scoring punch.

Watch whether the Lakers maintain their pace through substitutions and get into their offense early. With Sexton unavailable, their ability to function together becomes more important than any individual reserve’s scoring total.

How quickly can Kessler establish his presence?

Kessler’s regular-season Lakers debut presents a test of both his defensive communication and his developing chemistry with Dončić and Reaves.

At Tuesday’s practice, he emphasized building communication through repetition.

“Yeah, I think it’s repetition, building a habit of over-communicating on every possession,” Kessler said.

Golden State’s off-ball movement will test that habit immediately. Kessler must communicate screens, protect the basket and help finish possessions without allowing second chances.

Redick identified transition defense and defensive rebounding as areas needing improvement after the preseason.

“So if we get better at that, I think we’ll have a chance to be a pretty good defense, and that’s exciting,” Redick said Tuesday.

Offensively, watch Kessler’s screening and the timing of his rolls as he's still learning habits and tendencies next to Dončić and Reaves. Going to take time, except for some sloppy miscommunication at times.