LeBron James scored 40 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lakers Ride New Starting Lineup to Big Win Over Thunder
Darvin Ham, the Los Angeles Lakers’ coach, faced a challenge during a four-game losing streak. Initially hesitant to alter the starting lineup, he eventually acknowledged the need for a change. Contrary to expectations, the new starting five didn’t involve swapping players like Austin Reaves or reverting to a successful lineup from the past. Instead, Jarred Vanderbilt, known for not shooting much, joined LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish in the new starting lineup.
The Lakers experimented with a new lineup, and it showed some improvement. In roughly nine minutes of play, they outscored Oklahoma City. Overcoming their usual first-quarter struggles, the Lakers performed well and won the game 129-120, leaving everyone in a positive mood. Coach Ham praised the team’s “size and physicality” for better defense. D’Angelo Russell, typically a starter, came off the bench but expressed comfort in his new role, emphasizing, “The result was a win. To me, that’s all that matters.”
Considering the overall situation, the new lineup poses a challenge for a coach hesitant to make more changes. The main concern is spacing, meaning there’s not enough room on the court. LeBron James took on the point guard role, and the Lakers heavily relied on the James-Davis pick-and-roll. This strategy was successful when the Lakers won the championship in 2020, but back then, they had more players who were good at shooting.
In 2023, this lineup is notably lacking in shooting, which adds a touch of irony. The trio of Prince, Reddish, and Vanderbilt has a combined average of only 3.24 three-point attempts per game throughout their careers. While Prince has shown decent shooting form this season, Reddish and Vanderbilt aren’t frequently marked by defenders. This results in more congestion around the basket when LeBron James and Anthony Davis are trying to score. Despite managing well in a recent game, it may not always be as smooth. The primary goal should be to make things simpler for James, not more challenging.
Creating space and having additional ball-handling skills are crucial. This is why LeBron James advocated for bringing in Russell Westbrook, even though it didn’t work out well. At this stage of his career, James prefers to play forward, not point guard. In the playoffs last season, the Lakers had two extra ball-handlers in the starting lineup with Reaves and Russell. However, in the recent game, they had none. While James can manage the load for a game or even a month, expecting him to do it for an entire season is too much. He turns 39 before the end of December.
In November, when Reaves wasn’t in the starting lineup, the goal was to keep him and Russell apart for defensive reasons. However, if both miss the start of each half, it’s challenging without reducing their playing time. As anticipated, Reaves played 28 minutes, and Russell played 17. Last season, after the trade deadline, they typically played a combined 60.6 minutes. With the offense currently ranked 24th, it might be difficult for them to play the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers so sparingly.
The Lakers made this change to improve their defense, but the results were a bit mixed. In about nine minutes against Oklahoma City, they gave up 23 points, and it could have been more if the Thunder made more of their open shots.
When building lineups, it’s important to have a good balance. Last year’s starting group was strong because it had players who could do well on both offense and defense. Even though Russell isn’t great on defense and Vanderbilt has challenges on offense, as long as James, Davis, and Reaves played well, the Lakers did great with all five of them. That lineup outscored opponents by 20.6 points for every 100 possessions in the regular season.
Coach Ham might have a plan for the future. Reaves is doing well coming off the bench, but Russell has been struggling. The Lakers could be thinking about a trade and want to switch Russell out of the starting lineup before getting a replacement, without affecting Reaves. It’s tough to imagine the Lakers going far in the postseason with a lineup that has some problems.
But right now, the Lakers have a 16-14 record. Even if they plan to trade for someone like Chicago’s Zach LaVine, they can’t afford to lose games while waiting. The Lakers are tied in the loss column with the 11th-seeded Suns. Playing with a lineup that lacks shooting is a big risk, and if Coach Ham is hesitant to make changes, they might slide down the standings during this experiment.