Starting Unit Continues to Struggle
Whether it is because the second unit is playing so well, or that the starters are actually playing that bad, or a combination of both, the first unit struggles continued against the Portland Trailblazers.
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Giving up 13 quick points to Lillard in the first quarter alone, the starters quickly dug themselves a double digit deficit which Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr and the bench mob quickly made up per usual.
Aside from the obvious fact that the starters are playing against better competition, another reason for the struggles could be the fact that the first unit features a series of ball dominant scorers in an offense that requires constant movement. As is the case with most of the team’s current issues, this should be alleviated with time.
On Tuesday, Coach Luke Walton went with his original starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Lou Williams, Luol Deng, Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov, but began experimenting with different units a few minutes into the second quarter. Inserting Deng, Randle and Williams to accompany Marcelo Huertas and Nick Young, this was one of the first occasions Walton has decided to go small.
This obviously isn’t the Purple and Gold’s go-to small ball “death lineup,” but the fact that we’re seeing Randle at the center should be encouraging. Surprisingly, the unit that started the second half – Russell, Williams, Young, Randle, Mozgov – fared much better than the actual starters.