With LeBron James back, who deserves the fifth starting spot?

On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Utah Jazz in what ended up being LeBron James' season debut. 

Los Angeles won the game 140-126, and after a back-and-forth first half, the Lakers extended their lead in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. 

It was a sight for sore eyes to see the NBA's all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, suited back up in Purple and Gold. The start of the game, however, looked pretty rough. Utah was able to do really close to whatever they wanted offensively. 

With LeBron James being reinserted into the lineup, it raised a question. Does the fifth starter need to be altered?

Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton are locks in the starting unit, but that group lacks defensive capabilities. With Rui Hachimura currently filling that spot, is there a better fit as the fifth man? 

Rui Hachimura 

Rui Hachimura, as previously mentioned, is the Lakers' current starter in that fifth spot. To his credit, Hachimura has been fantastic so far this season. He ranks in the top-20 in FG% (56.6) and top-five in 3P% (48.1) while averaging 15.1 PPG. 

These are outstanding numbers, especially from a role player. It's all you can ask for offensively from a player with only a 15% usage rate. The issue with Hachimura isn't his offensive game; it's his defense. 

His defensive rating currently sits at 114.9, which puts him below players like nearly retired Mike Conley (114.2), small guard Steph Curry (113.7), and even his own teammate Dalton Knecht (114.7), who has been a known defensive liability thus far. 

The only struggle is that Hachimura does play his best offensively with LeBron James on the court. 

Does his offensive production outweigh his defensive flaws? Only time will tell, and one game is certainly too soon to make final decisions. 

Marcus Smart 

Marcus Smart has arguably been the engine of this Los Angeles Lakers team so far this season. 

After quickly being inserted into the starting lineup for an injured Gabe Vincent, Smart instantly impacted the energy and identity of this team. 

He constantly comes up with big hustle plays against any position. He's held his own frankly against the 1-4 to this point. At the same time, he doesn't provide as much offensively as a Hachimura or a Jake LaRavia, but his defense and hustle can't be ignored. 

Smart is currently 5th in the entire NBA in steals per game (2.0) behind some of the best defenders the game currently has to offer. If defense needs to be inserted into the starting lineup, Smart is your man. 

Jake LaRavia 

LaRavia is the dark-horse. The 24-year-old FA signing from the summer has been quite a welcome surprise in Los Angeles thus far. 

His offensive production is there, averaging 10.6 PPG, and even having a 27-point outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he shot 10/11 from the field and 5/6 from three. This isn't about what he brings on offense, though. 

Defensively, he's been exactly as advertised and a godsend for his price. Many Lakers fans overreacted to the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith in the offseason, but ball knowers knew LaRavia would be more than a worthy replacement. 

LaRavia is tied with players like Amen Thompson in steals per game (1.5), and he's already had four games this season with 3+ steals. 

He may not be quite the defender and dog Marcus Smart is, but with what you get defensively AND offensively, he may be the best fit. 

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