The Los Angeles Lakers have made a change to remove Ziaire Williams from the starting lineup for the first time while active this season. Williams was one of many NBA players impacted by the early injury bug to miss a couple of games. It seems that Williams has lost his role in the starting lineup as one of the forwards in his first game back.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed the following starting lineup for Monday’s game against the Miami Heat:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Jake LaRavia
Williams typically started with Thybullle, but LaRavia has done well enough to retain that spot. Redick paced LaRavia in the lineup for the games without Williams since the Lakers only have so few options to play the wing positions. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jarred Vanderbilt will split the duties with Williams as backup forwards.
The three games without Williams saw LaRavia shooting 50% from three-point range to win over Redick. All options are flawed, but shooting and defense are the two pivotal skills needed from the forwards. Tonight’s battle against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo could see Redick trying different lineups to see which works defensively.
Why Ziaire Williams Wasn’t Demoted By Lakers
Most players would take it at a downgrade to lose their starting spot, but Williams should not take it that way. The Lakers were always going to have a platoon set up at forward after losing last season’s starters LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in free agency.
Williams, LaRavia, Thybulle, and others have a chance to close the game. The closing lineup is often more important than the starters since they determine the fourth quarter minutes. Reserve center Kevon Looney’s struggles also open more minutes for the reserve power forwards when Kessler is on the bench.
Redick has experimented with Vanderbilt in backup center minutes, but other forwards can be included if the opposing team doesn’t have a dominant big man. Williams will get plenty of chances to continue contributing to the Lakers. Redick wanted to ride the hot hand of LaRavia and keep the current chemistry going rather than punishing Williams.
Forward Depth Remains Big Lakers Problem
The Lakers roster construction clearly saw them caring more about guard and center than the forward position. Re-signing Reaves in free agency and acquiring Kessler from the Utah Jazz to become the new franchise center were the top priorities.
Fans were surprised when the Lakers then spent more on backup guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton more than going after a starting wing player. Grimes was originally considered for the small forward starting role, but he’s been a bench guard so far this season.
The Lakers have no clear cut starting forward who would be in the starting lineup for most NBA teams. Williams joined the Lakers after a lackluster stint with the Brooklyn Nets and has played well in his role. Expect Williams, LaRavia, and the other forwards to all get minutes with the best players of each night closing the game.
JJ Redick Makes Big Lakers Change With Ziaire Williams Back