Getty Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made a change to the starting lineup, swapping out D’Angelo Russell and adding Jarred Vanderbilt to Cam Reddish, and Taurean Prince alongside stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
The decision has not gone well so far, and Lakers insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic pointed to some numbers to underscore that fact.
“Minuscule sample size but it’s been a disaster,” Buha said in the post.
Lakers’ new starting lineup in 18 minutes:
– 105.0 offensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 125.0 defensive rating (worse than 30th-ranked Wizards)
– -20.0 net rating (worse than 30th-ranked Spurs)
– 40.0 eFG%
– 46.8 TS%
Minuscule sample size but it’s been a disaster.
They are 1-1 since the change following their 126-115 loss to the Boston Celtics on Christmas, though that is an improvement over the four-game losing streak that sparked the changes from Ham.
The defensive numbers might be the most concerning part.
Buha previously noted the Lakers were leaning into that side of the floor. But he also warned of the offensive issues when Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the change.
“LA is clearly leaning into perimeter defense, size and athleticism with this new group. This is a unit that can get stops and out in transition,” Buha posted on December 23, quoting Charania’s post. “The concerns are clear, though: 3-point shooting, spacing, ballhandling and playmaking. OKC and others will pack the paint even more.”
Ham offered his explanation for why things have been difficult for his squad of late.
Darvin Ham Points to Road-Heavy Schedule, Holidays for Lakers’ Malaise
“We came back a little lethargic, just coming off a long trip and then the whole Christmas circumstances of the holiday or whatever – early game,” Ham said after the game via NBA.com. “Took us a little bit of time to get going.”
He noted the Lakers had some “good looks” early in the game. But Ham lamented the Lakers sending the Celtics to the free throw line for 14 attempts in the third quarter alone.
“I think it hurt us big time,” Ham said. “It really puts your defense in Jeopardy, and it causes you to kind of play on your heels.”
But he doubled down on the travel woes when pressed about the offensive shortcomings.
“We’ve been zipping and zagging across the country, man. Back and forth across the country. So, and then, again everyone has family in town for this, Christmas Day. And you’re disappointed. But you’re not discouraged. We dropped to, what, 16-15 I believe? We got 51 games left to play.
“You just know what work you have cut out for you. We’ll take a day off tomorrow, let the guys kind of recalibrate. And then Wednesday, we’ll focus on us: we’ll watch film, watch a lot of this and some stuff from some previous games, and see if we can get better.”
The Lakers already overcame a 3-5 start to the season, giving them something to fall back on.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Ham said. “I’m not distraught or not seeing it for what it is. It’s just it’s the NBA season. You’re going to go through your ebbs and flows.
“Those dog days are going to set in pretty quickly after these holidays are over with. And the biggest thing is to see what we can get better at day in and day out to make our team not just stronger, but more consistent night in and night out.”
Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt Coming Up Short
The Lakers’ 115 points against Boston also marked the fifth time in six games that they have failed to score at least 120 points, all losses. They are 9-2 this season when they score 121 points or more.
Davis finished with a game-high 40 points. No other Laker cracked the 20-point mark, though, including James, who finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in just under 37 minutes. Prince was also steady, finishing the contest with 17 points and connecting on 5-of-12 threes.
Reddish and Vanderbilt combined for seven points on 4-for-7 shooting. The latter was making just his second start of the season after missing the first 20 games of the campaign and all but one preseason contest.
Throw it down Vando 💥
Vanderbilt has scored no more than two points in any of his nine appearances this season.
Reddish, making his ninth straight start (when healthy) and 18th in the last 22 games, has scored more than eight points just once in the last five games.
He has scored double-digit points in just seven of his starts.