NBA Player News

James will start in Tuesday's game against the Warriors, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

James is fighting for rotation minutes ahead of the regular season. The 21-year-old is coming off another quiet campaign, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists over 8.9 minutes in 42 regular-season games in 2025-26.

Mamukelashvili will start in Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

The Lakers have seven players inactive for Tuesday's exhibition, so Mamukelashvili could see reasonable minutes. Joining him in the first unit will be Bronny James, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia and Adou Thiero.

Hayes will start in Tuesday's game against Denver.

Jusuf Nurkic (foot) is sidelined, so Hayes will start in the rematch with the Nuggets. The 26-year-old started nine times with the Lakers in 2025-26, averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals over 27.4 minutes in those appearances.

Bailey will start in Tuesday's preseason game against the Nuggets.

Bailey will get the start with Lauri Markkanen (neck) unavailable, and he'll be joined in the first unit by Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Jaren Jackson and Jaxson Hayes. It'll be interesting to see what Bailey's usage rate looks like in the first unit.

Kaluma (lower body) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game Golden State, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaluma will miss a second consecutive preseason contest Tuesday. He's considered day-to-day, so he may be on the floor Thursday for the rematch with Sacramento.

Sexton (lower body) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's unknown if Sexton will be available to play during the preseason, though his next opportunity to get on the floor will come Thursday against Sacramento. The 27-year-old ended the 2025-26 campaign with the Bulls, averaging 17.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals over 26.0 minutes per contest in 26 regular-season games.

Williams (rest) is out for Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Williams will rest on the second leg of a preseason back-to-back set. His absence should open up minutes for Jarred Vanderbilt and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Kessler (finger) won't play in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kessler will miss a second consecutive preseason game after jamming his finger during training camp. The big man will aim to make his preseason debut Thursday at home against the Kings, but the Lakers will take a cautious approach to keep the injury from lingering into the regular season.

Doncic (undisclosed) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Doncic is coming off a solid 21-point outing in Monday's 127-103 preseason win over Sacramento. The veteran is likely getting time off to rest on the second night of a back-to-back, though it's unknown if he will suit up for Thursday's rematch with Sacramento.

Thybulle (rest) will skip Tuesday's exhibition against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Lakers are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, so they will rest their entire starting lineup and some key reserves. Jaden Hardy and Bronny James could see major minutes in Tuesday's preseason game.