The Los Angeles Lakers’ new starting lineup was brutally destroyed by NBA analyst Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
The Lakers, who are starting LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis, have played this new lineup a total of 18 minutes over their last two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, and according to Buha, the numbers are ugly.
“Through 18 minutes over two games, the starting lineup has a 105.0 offensive rating and 125.0 defensive rating, an abysmal minus-20.0 net rating,” Buha wrote. “Extrapolated over the course of a full season, all three marks would be league-worst marks. Against the Celtics, the Lakers were outscored by 10 points in the eight minutes the starters played together.”
The Lakers beat the Thunder but lost to the Celtics. The purple and gold are 16-15 on the season and only 2-6 since winning the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“I think with the lineup change, just trying to find ways to be effective on the offensive end,” Davis said after the Lakers lost to the Celtics. “We know that teams are probably not gonna try to guard Vando, so just using him in actions.”
Reddish and Vanderbilt are not good 3-point shooters. Reddish is shooting 30.1% from beyond the arc this season, while Vanderbilt is 0-of-9 from 3.
“We got some really, really, really good looks that we just weren’t able to knock them down,” LeBron said after the Lakers-Celtics game. “They did a good job of trying to use Porzingis as a roamer and take away the paint, force us to shoot some 3s. And we got some great looks from some of our better 3-point shooters. We just weren’t able to knock them down.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Buha thinks the Lakers need to abandon this new starting lineup and put more shooters around LeBron and Davis. One NBA scout told NBA Analysis Network that the Lakers should start Reaves, Prince, Rui Hachimura, LeBron and Davis.
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