Byron Scott says he won’t bench the Lakers young players to end games anymore
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost their last four games, including going down in their last three by just single digits. However, there’s been a narrative all season regarding good losses and good wins juxtaposed against the contrary. That’s a narrative that’s never been more relevant than over the last three losses.
While the losses have improved the Lakers’ chances in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery and kept their probability of keeping their first-round pick high, the losses have been troublesome to fans as it’s been the reserves filled with veterans and inconsequential pieces finishing games and leading comebacks after the starters and young players like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle have suffered from slow starts.
It’s been yet another frustrating decision made by Byron Scott among the numerous that he’s made throughout this season. However, it’s a decision that he says he won’t be making again. After Lakers practice on Sunday, Scott said that he would be letting the starters and young players finish games from here on out this year:
Byron Scott says he is done benching young players for the fourth quarter. Going forward, they will play in fourth quarter “no matter what.”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) March 20, 2016
Thank heavens.
The differentiation between the good wins/losses and bad wins/losses this season has simply been whether the game as a whole worked to help benefit the future of the organization. The crux of that is giving the players who are going to be the cornerstones of the franchise moving forward the opportunities necessary to grow, develop, and create a rapport with one another on the basketball court.
So, when Byron has been taking these guys out at the first sign of adversity as of late, it’s really viewed as a detrimental act in regards to the future of the Lakers. He’s been robbing players like Russell, Clarkson, and Randle of the chance to become more battle-tested and see how they respond when met with hardship.
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Luckily, Scott says that won’t be an issue that fans have to fret over for the rest of the season. Let’s hope he holds true to that and also hope that the Lakers young guys prove that finally letting them play through their struggles is ultimately beneficial.