3. Questionable rotations without Rajon Rondo
In the final home game prior to the road trip, point guard Rajon Rondo broke his hand. The injury will keep him sidelined about a month, which means another adjustment is coming to the rotation.
The Lakers have played previously this season without Rondo when received a three-game suspension for his role in the fight with the Houston Rockets. Without Rondo, Ball will be relied upon heavily to run the offense. However, at times this road trip, the rotations were a little out of whack.
Too often the Lakers were left without a true point guard on the court. With Lonzo Ball and LeBron James on the roster, Los Angeles has two of the best playmakers in the league on their roster. Their minutes should be staggered so the Lakers have one playmaker on the court at all times.
Brandon Ingram was left as the point guard on some occasions, and the offense stalled at times. Ingram is capable of handling point guard, but he should not be the sole initiator of the offense on the court at once.
Luke Walton should have no need to rely on small ball lineups, either. Tristan Thompson dominated the glass for the Cavaliers and at times you could look at the Lakers’ bench and see both JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler sitting there. That should not happen except for special circumstances; against Thompson is not one of those times.
Finding an exact rotation isn’t easy with so many moving parts. However, 16 games into the season, there are some things that should be axed as they have not produced enough positive results.