The Lakers and Suns, both with the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery in their sights, do battle at STAPLES Center on Friday
Remember just a week ago when things were seemingly so hopeful for the Los Angeles Lakers and their future? Oh how a few games with Byron Scott still as the head coach can change that. Given this rollercoaster of a season that Byron has led the way on, who knows what to expect on Friday night as they welcome the Phoenix Suns to STAPLES Center.
The matchup with the Suns is intriguing on a number of levels. The one that fans are certainly aware of is that it’s a game between two teams both eyeing the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery as two of the worst teams in the league right now. However, it’s also a contest between three of the most exciting young backcourt players in the league with D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson for the Lakers and Devin Booker for the Suns.
Make no mistake, though that neither of these two teams are good NBA teams right now, no matter what the future of each organization looks like. The frustrating part when it comes to the Lakers, though, is how things have been going as of late. Russell, Clarkson, and the rest of the starters have been struggling out of the gate in the past two games. Instead of Scott letting them work through it or even giving them an ample chance to do so, though, he’s put in lineups featuring the likes of Lou Williams, Marcelo Huertas, and Ryan Kelly, among others.
Seeing things like that is one of the many reasons why Scott’s job with the Lakers this season has made him so reviled. Decisions like that are completely nonsensical. Yes, you don’t want to leave the young players out there to fail and destroy their confidence—but seeing how players like Russell, Clarkson, and Julius Randle respond to adversity as a unit is something that you need to see now so that they can build on the experience moving forward.
And perhaps the worst part of seeing things like this is that the reserves lineup has actually kept the Lakers in games. While it’s not a bad thing to win games as record is almost irrelevant at this point, it doesn’t do the organization any good if players who are largely inconsequential to the future of the franchise aren’t the ones getting the reps and getting those wins. There are good wins and bad wins for a rebuilding team like the Lakers and Byron Scott has actively been working towards bad ones as of late.
Against the reeling Suns, the Lakers should have the chance to pick up a win when it’s all said and done. What’s more important if that happens, though, is that it’s a good one and not what we’ve seen the team working towards in the past two games.
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Friday, March 18
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Lakers -3
Moneyline: Lakers -160, Suns +140
O/U: 214.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Bass (eye)—Questionable, Anthony Brown (foot)—Out, Kobe Bryant (shoulder)—Questionable, Larry Nance Jr. (knee)—Probable
Phoenix Suns: Eric Bledsoe (knee)—Out, T.J. Warren (foot)—Out
Prediction
Perhaps this is applying a bit too much optimism, but I think that the young guys will come off of this long rest and look a bit more energized than they have in their last two games. Fans have to hope so to avoid watching the veterans keep the Lakers in an irrelevant game. If that does happen, though, the Lakers should be able to edge out the Suns and get back to winning.