5 things LA Lakers must do to break out of their slump ft. benching Taurean Prince
The LA Lakers fell 124-108 to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, marking their third straight loss. Additionally, they have lost four of their last five games since their NBA In-Season Tournament championship win against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 9.
Given their recent struggles, many have been calling for the Lakers to make immediate changes. This could include concocting some midseason trades to bolster their roster like they did last season. However, it may not be necessary to do so.
There are still several rotational and schematic changes that can be made to help LA get back on track. On that note, here are five adjustments that the Lakers could implement moving forward:
Adjustments LA Lakers can make to break out of their slump
#5. Guard opposing teams’ role players better
During their slump, the Lakers have struggled mightily at guarding opposing teams’ role players.
During their 127-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 12, LA allowed a combined 58 points from guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dante Exum.
In their 129-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, they allowed shooting guard Devin Vassell to drop a career-high 36 points.
Additionally, in LA’s aforementioned loss to Chicago on Wednesday, the team allowed eight Bulls players to finish in double-figure scoring.
So, moving forward, the Lakers need to do a better job of containing opposing teams’ role players to ensure that they can keep up offensively.
#4. Bench Taurean Prince, start Austin Reaves
The Lakers could also make a change to their starting lineup to ensure that they are playing their best five guys to start games.
Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves has been coming off the bench and thriving in his role. In five games since LA’s In-Season Tournament title, he’s averaging 20.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.6 steals and 3.2 3-pointers per game on 50.7% shooting.
These are borderline star numbers, so perhaps the Lakers would be better off starting their third-leading scorer over veteran wing Taurean Prince. Prince is averaging 13.8 ppg over his last five games and isn’t nearly as big of an offensive threat as Reaves.
So, if the Lakers want to improve upon their 24th-ranked offensive rating (111.7), starting Reaves could be the right move.
#3. Bench Cam Reddish, start Jarred Vanderbilt
Another change that LA could make to its starting lineup is benching wing Cam Reddish. Reddish was offering the Lakers solid two-way production earlier in the season. However, as of late, he has struggled mightily with his shot.
Over his last four games, Reddish is averaging just 7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.0 spg on 38.2% shooting.
His lack of rebounding, playmaking and scoring hampers the versatility of the Lakers’ starting five. So, perhaps LA could give veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt another opportunity to start.
Vanderbilt has been limited over his first seven games since his return from a heel injury. However, he fared well as LA’s starter last season after being acquired from the Utah Jazz at the February trade deadline.
Vanderbilt averaged 7.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.1 spg on 51.9% shooting in 24 starts for the Lakers last season. So, if he puts up similar numbers again, he could provide LA’s starting five with more rebounding while helping boost their offensive efficiency.
#2. Keep momentum-killing turnovers in check
Additionally, the Lakers have struggled to take care of the ball this season, giving up 14.2 turnovers per game, the 12th-most in the NBA. Many of their turnovers have killed their offensive momentum and prevented them from coming back when trailing in close games.
So, if the Lakers can remedy this issue, it could help solve some of their offensive woes.
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#1. Limit D’Angelo Russell's minutes
Finally, one last change that the Lakers could make to their rotation is limiting starting point guard D’Angelo Russell’s minutes.
While Russell has proven the ability to take over games when he heats up, he is also an incredibly streaky player. Over his last four games, he is averaging just 7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.0 3pg on 34.2% shooting.
Russell will likely break out of his slump soon. However, until he does, LA would probably be better off restricting his playing time to ensure his poor play doesn’t do too much damage.
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