The Los Angeles Lakers are initiating a bold strategy to try to get themselves back on the winning track. They’re letting a certain 38-year-old play point guard.
The Lakers enter their Saturday showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder as losers of four straight contests. They lost their last four games by an average margin of 10.5 points.
In an attempt to shake things up, the Lakers are reportedly benching guard D’Angelo Russell in favor of forward Jarred Vanderbilt. That means King James will be the lone primary ball-handler in a lineup that will feature exclusively frontcourt players. Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, and Anthony Davis comprise the rest of the revamped starting five.
Lakers are moving D’Angelo Russell to the bench, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/0mSDDXXoMy
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 23, 2023
After four straight losses, the Lakers are moving D’Angelo Russell to the bench tonight vs. Oklahoma City for new starting five of LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 23, 2023
Russell averaged 10.0 points per game on a miserable 35.4% shooting clip over the Lakers’ last four contests before getting benched.
The Lakers are leaning on their size to try and turn their fortunes around. Prince, standing at 6’7″, will be the smallest player on the floor for the Lakers. The Purple & Gold will have their two top guards — Russell and Austin Reaves — coming off the bench.
The Lakers could potentially be down another guard in Gabe Vincent, who is currently mulling over surgery to repair his injured left knee.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is strongly considering surgery on his left knee with a timetable of 6-to-8 weeks, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Vincent rehabbed for almost two months for return, but the swelling is back and procedure is now a real likelihood. pic.twitter.com/pIkbvXnT5G
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 24, 2023
The Lakers are relying on James, who turns 39 before the New Year, to handle an even heavier load as a playmaker.
The 4-time MVP has long played as a de facto point guard from the forward spot throughout his career. But it will still be interesting to see how long Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s experiment lasts — and if it works.
