The Los Angeles Lakers moved Jake LaRavia from the bench into the starting lineup back on October 28, due to Ziaire Williams dealing with an injury. And despite Williams only missing three games (and returning on November 2), LaRavia has remained a starter for nine consecutive games, during which the Lakers have gone 8-1 and won their last seven.
Keeping LaRavia in the starting five hasn't been a dig at Williams (who has been excellent all year long); rather, it's been an obedience to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.
The Lakers are really, really good when LaRavia's in the starting lineup this season. In particular, the starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, Walker Kessler, and LaRavia has posted a ridiculous +30.7 net rating in 65 minutes played together so far this year.
Jake LaRavia moving to the starting lineup has enhanced the Lakers
JJ Redick isn't about to change a formula that's been leading to nothing but wins. One does have to wonder, though, what is it about LaRavia's game that's injected so much value? It's a good question, considering Williams has also been tremendous this season.
One answer might be LaRavia's effort on the backboard. The Lakers aren't a good defensive rebounding team this season (one of the worst in the NBA, actually), but LaRavia is very effective on the glass, especially for a wing. The combination of LaRavia and Kessler in the same lineup not only helps with defensive rebounding but makes the Lakers dangerous on the offensive glass.
Jake LaRavia's rebounding, complementary style fits Lakers perfectly
Beyond the board work, LaRavia is also an ideal complementary wing to Luka and AR because of his secondary skill set. He doesn't need the ball to impact winning. He can knock down open 3s, guard multiple positions, and -- as aforementioned -- he's always crashing the glass. LaRavia also has intrinsic chemistry with Doncic. You can make the argument that Williams is a better player in a vacuum than LaRavia is; but having Jake in the starting lineup and Ziaire off the bench might give the Lakers more balance overall.
It's important not to get too carried away with a relatively small sample size, of course. Moreover, the Lakers' starting five will surely be tweaked in the near future due to other injuries (currently: Reaves). For now, though, Redick has no reason to take LaRavia out of the starting unit.
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