Lakers: Bench Missing Marcelo Huertas’ Playmaking

The Lakers bench is feeling the blow of Marcelo Huertas’ diminishing role. 

The Lakers made an interesting and unexpected move in the off-season when they signed Marcelo Huertas. A player who had excelled for years overseas, Huertas had never played in the NBA. The signing was interesting particularly because Huertas is 32 years old and, therefore, didn’t make much sense for a rebuilding team looking to create a long-term core.

Despite this, Huertas quickly endeared himself to fans, playing exceptionally well in the preseason. His flashy passes and efficient mid-range game were reminiscent of Steve Nash, who Laker fans never got to truly enjoy.

However, Huertas has seen his minutes steadily decline since the season began , even missing games entirely. This is mainly the result of the fact that playing Huertas with Lou Williams, is exceedingly difficult.

First of all, Williams and Huertas are both fairly small players, with Williams standing at 6-1 and Huertas at 6-3. Huertas’ size is fine for his position as a true point guard, but Williams’ size is much more problematic. As a shooting guard, Lou Williams represents a significant defensive liability if he is forced to guard his position.

The Lakers have dealt with this issue by simply playing Lou Williams out of position at the one, which has caused as many problems as it has fixed.

In order to play Lou Williams at the two, the point guard playing alongside him must be able to guard the opposing shooting guard. As Huertas is far from a defensive specialist, putting him on a shooting guard is a liability as well. The Lakers have dealt with this issue by simply playing Lou Williams out of position at the one, which has caused as many problems as it has fixed.

The Lakers bench unit has struggled mightily with Lou Williams running the show, with Williams himself struggling just as much. The Lakers bench has given away many of the games the Lakers appeared to have a chance to win this season. Friday’s game against the Raptors is a good example, as the Lakers lost despite their starters posting a 113 offensive rating and a 98 defensive rating.

Although the Lakers bench has been outscored badly in most of their games, they actually have talented players. Metta World Peace has played very well to start the season, as has the athletic, young Larry Nance Jr. Tarik Black is an athletic player who can be a vicious finisher in the pick and roll. Williams, Young, and Bass are also all solid veterans at Byron Scott‘s disposal. Despite this, the Lakers bench has not found much success as a unit.

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Much of this is because the Lakers bench unit lacks a true playmaker. Many of these players excel as finishers, but struggle to find their own shot. Williams has always been billed as a scorer, and so far this season he has been unable to even do that very well. His strength has never been as a passer, and that has shown this season. Although he has made nice passes at times, the offense looks generally out-of-sync with him at the helm, due in large part to his propensity for holding the ball for much of the shot clock.

If Huertas were to begin receiving some of Williams minutes off the bench, he would be able to better facilitate for the other members of the bench. An excellent passer out of the pick and roll, Nance Jr. and Black would benefit from easy looks created by Huertas. His ability to drive-and-kick would also help World Peace and Young, getting them more open looks from the outside.

If Huertas were to begin taking minutes from Williams, the primary concern would be who would provide the scoring punch off the bench. This question, however, can be answered by the strong play of Nick Young, who has been significantly better than Williams so far.  On defense, the difference would be negligible, as both Huertas and Williams are liabilities on that end of the court. However, Huertas’ slightly better size could make a difference in certain situations.

Next: Is The Lakers Defense Getting Any Better?

The Lakers offense is inconsistent at best, but without a true point guard it becomes unwatchable. The Lakers are in desperate need of a bench unit capable of keeping them in games, and it appears clear that this unit must include a playmaker. If the Lakers want to become more competitive, then the rotations will need to change to allow Huertas to receive minutes as the backup point guard.