Lakers: A Possible Solution to Team’s Rotation Issues
By Ed Schrenzel
There are better ways of fixing the Lakers’ rotation than Byron Scott’s current course of action
Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott removed Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, the two players widely considered to be the building blocks to future franchise success, from the starting lineup.
Scott said he will bring both recent lottery picks off the bench for the next 5-10 games. In Monday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, he reduced their playing time to just 21 minutes apiece and didn’t play either down the stretch of a game that was tied after three quarters. The team went on to lose their third-straight contest anyway, dropping their record to a dismal 3-18, second-worst in the NBA.
What are we to make of the change? Is it brilliant strategy or a knucklehead move on Scott’s part? More importantly, how will it affect the team going forward? And is there another alternative that might work better?
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An unusual dichotomy exists on the Lakers this season. On the one hand, the team features all-time great Kobe Bryant in his final NBA season. Fans want the opportunity to watch him for perhaps the last time. The roster also includes free-agents-to-be Roy Hibbert, Metta World Peace and Brandon Bass and veterans Nick Young and Lou Williams.
Then there is the other side of the coin: the Lakers youth brigade headed by Randle and Russell which also including Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. Tarik Black and Anthony Brown.
Determining how to rotate these players in and out of the lineup is admittedly not an easy task. It is complicated by the presence of ball-dominant players such as Bryant, Williams, and Young. All three are also accustomed to making plays for themselves.
As a result, it does make some sense to play Randle and Russell at times when Bryant is not also on the court. But it seems illogical to play them fewer minutes at a time when their development would seem to be the team’s number one priority.
It shouldn’t matter if a player starts as long as he gets his court time. But with younger players who have started (and starred) at every level up until now, it is important for a coach to communicate with them to explain the reason for the change to make sure they maintain their confidence. By all accounts, Scott did not address either Randle or Russell other than in a group meeting.
It should be obvious to everyone involved in the organization that this Lakers team will not make the playoffs this season. At their current .143 winning percentage, they would win a grand total of 12 games. It will almost certainly take more than triple that amount to even get a sniff at postseason play. For the Lakers to finish at .500 they’d have to go 38-23 the rest of the way. Not very likely, is it?
So the focus of the team right now should clearly not be about winning games this season. Instead, it should rest plainly on developing players for the future, which means giving them time on the court. That’s also the best method of determining which players should be kept on the roster moving forward.
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Of course, the uncertainty around the Lakers’ first-round draft pick in 2016 is also a factor. The Lakers will only keep their pick if it ends up in the top-three. The worse their record, the better chance they have at keeping that pick. This team appears to be so inept that it doesn’t have to even think about intentionally tanking. The losses will likely continue to pile up no matter how hard they try.
So what should be the lineup solution? How can Scott continue to provide a spotlight for Kobe and, at the same time, allow the kids to develop?
Here’s a somewhat radical idea. How about trying an approach that John Calipari used at the University of Kentucky most of last season? He had a deep roster of future NBA draft picks so he established two different playing units. With the Lakers, it might work something like this: on one unit, Scott can surround Bryant with fellow veterans, some blend of Hibbert, Bass, Young, Williams and World Peace, allowing fans to see Kobe do his thing for the last go-around.
On the other unit, he can play the youngsters together in some combination of Randle, Russell, Clarkson, Nance, Black and Brown. That will give the young guys the chance to develop and perhaps also gain some chemistry together.
Will that strategy win more games? It’s doubtful. But it will serve a dual-purpose of granting time on the floor for both Kobe and the young, developing players. And it just might be the best long-term approach.