Lakers: Midseason Grades for Each Player

Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1), forward Brandon Bass (2) and forward Nick Young (0) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1), forward Brandon Bass (2) and forward Nick Young (0) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
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Dec 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Sacre (50) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Lakers 126-97. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Sacre (50) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Lakers 126-97. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps one of the most confusing times of the 2015-16 NBA season to this point for the Lakers was when Byron elected to make Robert Sacre part of the regular rotation for a brief stretch of games. As fans saw of the big man last season, his performance on the court is far inferior to his bench celebrations as he performed in the most underwhelming of fashions over that time.

It’s hard to fully dismiss that decision because, after all, one of the biggest criticisms of Scott this season has been his lack of sensible experimentation with the rotation (sensible being the operative word) and giving players chances to prove themselves. However, you’d think that Sacre showed little enough last season for the coaching staff to come to the realization that he’s not going to be a quality rotation player in this league.

Moreover, Sacre in the rotation was taking away minutes from players more deserving opportunities like the Tarik Blacks of the world. Even if Black was banged up for part of the time that Sacre was getting run, throwing out variations of small-ball lineups would’ve been a better option.

The Sacre experiment was a failure yet again this season for the Lakers and, in essence, all the big man proved this season is that it is unequivocally time to move on from him come the end of his deal.

Next: Lou Williams