On the Los Angeles Lakers Media Day, Luke Walton revealed there will not be a set starting rotation anytime soon.
Headed into the preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers boast a fine mix of youth and experience. This assortment of players will hopefully enable the team to finish with a winning record for the first time in multiple seasons.
Of course, determining how these various pieces will fit together will require some tinkering. It is one of the more prominent challenges coaches must face going into a new season.
In the Lakers’ case, though, that same challenge will be particularly interesting for Luke Walton. Granted Walton will be coaching players such as Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma yet again, there are several new faces in town. They include but are not limited to, Rajon Rondo, and none other than four-time MVP LeBron James.
As a result, certain adjustments will be inevitable on the part of everyone involved. Those adjustments could very well entail some degree of sacrifice. However, in doing so, the ever so crucial element of chemistry will be built.
Certainly, chemistry does not magically appear overnight. A window of time will be required for this Lakers’ unit to get used to one another. It is just the way it is when there are quite a few new guys donning the purple and gold.
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Thankfully for the Lakers, Walton understands the kinks associated with his team’s predicament. What is encouraging to see, as well, is how much L.A.’s coach is relishing the opportunity in front of him.
While things like minutes distribution are not always easy to handle, Walton likes the Lakers’ versatility. Per Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation (courtesy of the team website), the team’s third-year coach has already created a few hypothetical rotations in his head.
"“Even what they call the ‘small-ball lineup,’ within that there’s three or four different small-ball lineups I want to see,” Walton said."
One of those possible scenarios could involve James playing some minutes at center. According to a recent rumor, playing at the five is an idea the Ohio native is not opposed to.
Although this is not LeBron’s traditional position, his brute strength alone makes the consideration not too crazy to think about. There is no doubt he would not be the simplest man to back down in the post.
Despite the validity of that statement, it is unknown in terms of who will start alongside the former Cleveland Cavalier. The depth the team possesses will test the cogs in Walton’s brain over the next few weeks.
At this juncture, having different combinations would not necessarily be a bad thing. For example, no Lakers’ fan would be against the idea of Kuzma starting. However, it is also very likely he could be the squad’s sixth man and be called upon to lead the second unit.
At any rate, Luke Walton does not feel too inclined to have a set starting five right now. For starters, the team’s media day was only this Monday. Thus, Walton should not feel pressured to string something together immediately regardless of the questions the media fire at him.
Moreover, the former Laker discerns the human side to all of this. He will be coaching some new ballplayers in 2018-2019. Therefore, he grasps the necessary process for the team to get used to being around each other every day.
"“We have a lot of new guys and a lot of it is feeling each other out, getting to know each other, getting to see who plays well together. I’m not desperate to find a set rotation.”"
The fact that Walton understands this side of the game is nice to see. Establishing those bonds now will only make matters easier once the real competition begins in a few weeks.
For the time being, it will be key for the former Arizona product to gauge what clicks and what does not in practice. Nonetheless, “Luuuuke!,” as the Lakers’ lovers used to chant, is doing the right thing as of now. Generating a set starting five is by no means necessary. Being careful in his approach is certainly in the Lakers’ best interest.