Los Angeles Lakers: 3 quick thoughts on the 2-3 Start

3. Zo and Hart Must Start

This happened against the Denver Nuggets and should happen every night for the rest of the season. With exception to Lonzo averaging almost one airball a game, his shot has been noticeably more consistent through the first five games. Shooting about 49 percent from the field and just about 41 percent from 3. That is fantastic considering what we saw last year.

But, Lonzo needs to start the game with LeBron. He can’t be the vocal leader off the bench the way that Rajon Rondo can with his veteran leadership and ability to take control of the possession when it breaks down.

That’s not how Lonzo plays. He thrives in the open court with his ability to get the ball up and find open guys even when they don’t even know they are.

Watch the next game against the Spurs on Saturday when Lonzo gets the ball his first instinct isn’t even to dribble, he puts his head up and scans the court right away. It’s glorious to see. That’s the guard you want playing with Lebron as much as possible.

Plus, we got a glimpse of what a confident Lonzo can do last night….

He also thrives on confidence and starts to lack it when shots don’t fall or things don’t go as planned. Starting him alongside LeBron will boost his confidence with LeBron’s ability to draw double teams and find open players.

If Lonzo comes off the bench, he doesn’t get the same opportunities because he will need to be in more control of the offense since he’s sharing the floor with Lance Stephenson and Kuzma.

Lance can only “dance on em” for so long before someone has to take the ball and set up the offense. That’s where we need Rondo. He’ll be the guy controlling the bench unit and making sure it doesn’t’ get out of control, which we have seen several times that it can very quickly.

In regards to Josh Hart, he is a certified stud and I don’t need stats or reasoning to prove that at this point.