With the Los Angeles Lakers' season winding down and the playoff race tightening, this is the time of year when JJ Redick really has to make decisions on what the playoff rotations will look like.
For the postseason, LA should be focused on having a balanced attack, and with three stars in LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, that can be hard to navigate. Obviously, in no world would it make sense for any of the Lakers' trio to come off the bench, but that doesn't mean one of them can't lead the second unit.
Out of the three, the two stars whose styles clash the most are LeBron and Luka. With both being elite playmakers and thriving in ball-dominant situations, one of them is better suited to lead the team's second group than Reaves would be.
Since the Lakers are transitioning from the LeBron era to the Luka era, it makes sense for the King to be the one who takes a step back and runs the second unit.
LeBron should be anchoring the Lakers bench from now on
The way Redick could format things is to have the team roll out its typical starting five, then have LeBron be the first player to sub out around the four-minute mark. From then on, when the second unit starts checking in, LeBron would come back in and share the court with the likes of Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes. This second unit lacks playmaking and a consistent decision-maker, which is where LeBron could help take the group to the next level.
Although age is finally starting to catch up with the 41-year-old, one thing that hasn't declined in the least is his ability to see the court and create opportunities for his teammates. Both Smart and Kennard are solid guards, but they lack point guard skills on offense, which wouldn't be a concern if they were playing alongside LeBron.
To be clear, this doesn't in any way mean LeBron wouldn't or shouldn't be closing games with AR and Luka—it's simply about balancing the offensive attack before then.
Reaves and Luka have a connection similar to the one Luka shared with Kyrie Irving in Dallas. The two play so well off of one another that, at times, LeBron is just left standing around or sitting in a corner on offense. Staggering his minutes with the second unit during certain playoff stretches would eliminate stagnant offensive possessions for the Lakers' second unit.
It may seem like a tall task to ask someone who, in many people's eyes, is the greatest of all time to take a bit of a back seat. However, if LeBron and the rest of this Lakers team are serious about contending, this small change could move them that much closer.