Chemistry is a tough thing to find in all aspects of life, not just basketball. When you have it, you have to lean into it. The Los Angeles Lakers have certainly found it with one new lineup combination the team has run.
Knowing which lineups a coach can lean to is so crucial, especially when the NBA Playoffs roll around. Having that go-to unit be able to take over basketball games and swing momentum in a team's favor is an invaluable thing to have in your back pocket.
In recent years, that lineup for the Lakers has typically been one made up of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. This year, it is a new combination that should prove to be integral to this team's postseason chances.
New faces emerge as vital components of Lakers' most successful five-man unit
It should be said that there is plenty of NBA season left to be played and the sample size being evaluated here is not a massive one. However, at this point, this new five-man combination has logged the fourth-most minutes together for the Lakers during the 2024-25 campaign. It can no longer be dismissed as a flash in the pan.
Reaves, James, and Davis have shared the court with Max Christie and Dorian Finney-Smith for 48 minutes this season, according to NBA.com. The results of running that unit for the Lakers are simply eye-popping.
That five-man lineup is currently posting offensive rating of 125.5 and defensive rating of 91.5 for a cumulative net rating of 34.5 when sharing the court together. They have also posted an effective field goal percentage of 70.5 and a true shooting percentage of 73.4, while playing at a healthy, up-tempo pace of 104.4.
None of these overwhelmingly positive results should be too surprising considering the type of players and skill sets that mix well with the Lakers superstars. This lineup features good shooting, solid defense, and even talented secondary ball handling to take the pressure of James.
Reaves, Finney-Smith, and Christie are all shooting around 37 percent from 3-point land with the Lakers this season. There is some solid 'switchability' between the players guarding on the perimeter. Plus, Reaves allows for the action offensively to not always have to revolve around Davis or James.
The bad news is injuries will keep this unit from building on their early success for the time being. However, once everyone is healthy, it will be worth monitoring how this lineup continues to progress and whether this proves to be the combination that Lakers head coach JJ Redick will turn to more as the season marches onward.