Great Bench, Bad Strategy
The Lakers have one of the best scoring benches in the league. The team averages 41.3 bench points per game, which ranks third in the league. Additionally, the bench averages only 17.8 minutes per game but shoots a whopping 50.1 percent from the floor. Though this stats are remarkable, the Lakers’ strategy for the bench is not the best.
Nearly two-thirds of the Lakers’ bench points come from two players. Jordan Clarkson averages 14.4 points while Julius Randle averages 12.7 points. This is quite remarkable, but if JC and Julius are locked up for a night it tends to be a struggle for the bench to provide. The same can be said of the extreme opposite. When Clarkson and Randle are playing hot the rest of the bench seems unable to get into a groove to continue to add points.
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The Lakers should continue to utilize Clarkson and Randle, but should get their other bench players more involved as well. Players like Corey Brewer, Andrew Bogut, and Josh Hart have shown signs of promise and should get a greater sense of trust on the court.
The Lakers will take on the Rockets on Sunday. Hopefully, they can snap this losing streak before the new year starts.