Lakers Make Major Lineup Change vs 76ers on Friday

The Lakers shake up their starting lineup against the Sixers.

Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling with a new starting five on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers have decided to slide Cam Reddish into the starting lineup. He will replace D’Angelo Russell.

Mar 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Lately, Russell has been facing a lot of criticism as the Lakers dropped into a two-game losing streak.

Against the Detroit Pistons on Monday, Russell scored 11 points on 29 percent shooting from the field. In Wednesday’s Lakers loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, Russell scored 12 points on 33 percent shooting. His playing time was noticeably down, as he appeared on the court for just 21 minutes despite being a healthy starter.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick discussed his thoughts on Russell following the Wednesday night battle against the Grizzlies, explaining the below-average minutes. His comments made it seem as if Redick was growing frustrated with the guard.

“Level of compete—attention to detail—some of the things I’ve talked with him about for a couple weeks," Redick told reporters. "At times he’s been really good with that stuff and other times it’s just reverting back to certain habits. It wasn’t like a punishment, just felt like for us to have a chance to win this game that was the route we wanted to take.”

While Redick clearly doesn’t want the comments to get blown out of proportion, Russell’s demotion is still notable heading into the game against the Sixers.

Prior to Wednesday’s Lakers loss against Memphis, Russell averaged 12 points on 38 percent shooting in the Lakers’ lineup. His scoring is down from 18 points per game on 46 percent shooting in 76 games last season with the Lakers.

LA will get an opportunity to test out a new rotation on Friday against a shorthanded Sixers team. On Wednesday, the Sixers lost Tyrese Maxey to a hamstring injury. Joel Embiid will serve the second game of his suspension on Friday night.

The new-look Lakers starting five will meet with Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, Paul George, and Andre Drummond to start the night on Friday.