Opening night for the Los Angeles Lakers is nearly here as they set to begin their season on Wednesday, October 21 against the Golden State Warriors.

The Lakers have yet to make their starting lineup official, though there are plenty of signs indicating who will be sharing the floor with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler when the ball goes in the air to begin the 2026-27 season.

Quentin Grimes was seemingly tabbed as the backcourt starter alongside Reaves and Doncic the moment he signed with the team, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick indicated as much throughout the preseason.

“I know that there’s a chance Quentin is gonna have an opportunity to start,” Redick said. “This was the original plan we were gonna have for the Sacramento game with Collin [Sexton] out. ... We just wanna get a look on that tonight, and we’ll see. But nothing definitive for next week.”

Grimes started in four of the five preseason games. In the one game he didn’t start, he played the third most minutes on the team behind only Kessler and Reaves, logging 28 minutes. Ziaire Williams played 10 minutes while Mattise Thybulle played 24 minutes in starting roles.

Grimes averaged 12.3 points, 2.5 assists, and shot 53.3%, including 41.2% from the three-point range, in 24.3 minutes per game in the preseason. His strong preseason only helped his case of being in the starting lineup on opening night.

Grimes is the fourth-highest-paid player on the team, signing a four-year, $60 million deal with the Lakers in the offseason. That amount of money indicated that they viewed him as the starter next to Reaves and Doncic.

Though his three-point shooting was down last season, he is the prototypical three-and-D player who will thrive next to Doncic and Reaves.

He can attack off the dribble, finish at the rim, and has shown the ability to hit open threes throughout his career. He shot 33% from three with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but knocked down 38% of his threes with the Dallas Mavericks and Sixers in the season prior.

Along with his offensive ability, Grimes will be tasked with defending the best perimeter player on the other team, which is no easy task when Doncic and Reaves are the other two point of attack defenders.

The Lakers have options at the wing, but Grimes is most suited for the job given his skill set and experience.