Head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Darvin Ham changed the starting lineup, starting Taurean Prince alongside stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt in place of D’Angelo Russell.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, a Lakers insider, cited certain statistics to highlight how poorly the decision has gone thus far.
After their 126-115 loss to the Boston Celtics on Christmas, they are 1-1 since the change, which is an improvement over the four-game losing streak that spurred Ham’s changes.
The most worrying aspect may be the defensive numbers.
The Lakers were leaning toward that side of the floor, as Buha had previously observed. But when Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed the modification, he also issued a warning about the offensive problems.
“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.”
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