Why the Lakers’ Starting Point Guard Doesn’t Matter

Mar 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard

(10) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, Mark Medina of the LA Daily News interviewed Lakers’ head coach Byron Scott. Among the discussion topics, the starting lineup for training camp will be Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Wesley Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and Jordan Hill came up. Some fans have voiced concern over the dedication to Nash as the starting point guard, when to this point, he hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy. The rest of the lineup looks as you would expect it to, but here’s why the Lakers’ starting point guard doesn’t matter.

This season, expect Byron Scott to get the most out of his point guards. In New Orleans, he coached Chris Paul and was partnered with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Despite the lack of massive team success, Scott was able to develop his young players who became All-NBA level talent. Improved play from the point guard position is an absolute must for this team, and the tandem of Nash and Lin should be an improvement over the hodgepodge of point guards that took hold over the roster last season.

Steve Nash isn’t going to play over 25 minutes any night. He’s likely going to be limited to 20 minutes a night, and won’t be playing every single game – barring a massive change in his health. Jeremy Lin is going to get the lion’s share of the minutes at point guard almost by default. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lin and Nash on the court at the same line, with the attempt being to utilize Nash as more of a spot up shooter. No matter what, at the end of the season, Steve Nash will not be the starting point guard for this team.

Where’s the harm in starting Nash? With Kobe on the floor, Lin wouldn’t be allowed to be as ball-dominant as he would need to be. Perhaps having ownership of the 2nd unit would allow Lin to gain some much needed confidence before breaking into the starting role.

No matter what happens, the writing is on the wall for how the Lakers point guard minutes will go: Jeremy Lin gets the most, Nash gets fewer, Jordan Clarkson gets the garbage minutes. While Lin might not be the starting point guard in name, he will be in importance.