On Monday night, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Darvin Ham, finally decided to play LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Taurean Prince again in the starting lineup that they used to have.
For defensive purposes, Ham had been experimenting with a few different looks, but in the end, he returned to the starting lineup.
In their 19 minutes together, the five-man unit’s defensive rating was a dismal 124.4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, they were quite good offensively. During their time together, they had an offensive rating of 127.3, which translated into a plus-2.9 net rating. The Lakers were up 21-19 when Ham made his first substitute of the quarter at 5:12, a fantastic change of pace for a team that has had trouble in the opening quarter.
When asked about his decision to return to that starting lineup and how it benefits the team’s two superstars, James and Davis, Ham gave a very straightforward response.
Ham stated, “I just wanted to surround our two captains with as much ability and shotmaking as possible.” “And those five have been our most reliable players so far this season,” the coach said. Simply combine them now.
“And as I mentioned, unless there’s an injury of any kind, that will be our lineup for the near future. I felt everything went smoothly. It was an incredible evening. many contributions. discussed how everyone should support one another, pour into one another, and work together to excel on both sides of the ball. And I believe that was witnessed tonight.
Ham clarified why switching up starting lineups for so long before returning the Lakers to their original starting lineups was such a laborious procedure.
“I just believe that everyone is trying to find the proper combination, considering the individual contributions, with both LJ and AD having All-Star-caliber years once again. And it’s not at all assisted by injuries. There is a great deal of inconsistency because different players come and go from the lineup. It’s great to have some healthy bodies at last, even though Cam [Reddish] isn’t playing. Rui [Hachimura] and Vando are back, and it’s great to see Vando get his legs up under him. Max [Christie], just a burst of vitality and vigor. And C-Wood was just getting used to his role as a backup five.
Everything, in my opinion, balances. Tonight served as a barometer for the equilibrium we aim to maintain after a decisive victory over Oklahoma City. One of the better teams in the league, not just in the West Conference, thanks to Shai, a really talented player. Thus, it was fantastic. Getting the win is fantastic. It has been difficult, but as I mentioned to them yesterday, if we just concentrate on the business at hand and take each day as it comes, we have a chance to go forward.
Naturally, neither the new nor the old starting lineup is flawless; their defense is a serious weakness. Nonetheless, Ham thinks they may make significant progress in that area without doing much.
“I simply believe that doing your work ahead of schedule.” You drive to the hoop, mishandle the ball, miss a shot, and have to go on to the next play. Everyone in this league is capable of shooting, dribbling, and passing, and they can put a great deal of pressure on you when you’re in transition. Thus, simply remembering anything quickly and returning to the place to support one another.
“Playing excellent team defense, communicating well with one another, and being active behind the first defender,” and then using a rebound to end a possession. The most important thing is that everyone is gang-rebounding and putting bodies on bodies. They took advantage of the offensive rebounds they had their fair share of, which often resulted in threes. Simply improving your finishing skills. We’ll watch it on tape tomorrow and take a closer look at the turnovers because we had a lot of defensive possessions where we were just unable to generate the defensive rebound. We’ll see what we can tighten up, but we played a pretty talented ball club tonight and did a ton of great stuff.
Barring any injuries, Ham guarantees that this starting lineup will stay in place for the foreseeable future. They can now continue to press the gas pedal on the offensive end while simultaneously strengthening their defense. It is hoped that this will get the Lakers back on track and into the victory column on a regular basis.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves of the Lakers love sharing the floor.
If they are playing together, the Lakers’ backcourt tandem of Russell and Reaves is fully confident in their ability to elevate the team’s potential. In particular, Russell supported sharing the field with Reaves.
“In the brief time we have been together, we have gained a great degree of credibility. It works when you put us out there.
