Lakers News: LA Makes Change To Starting Lineup Ahead Of WCF Game 2

Darvin Ham is shaking things up.

It appears Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was not happy with what he saw out of his starting unit in LA's 132-126 Game 1 defeat against the Denver Nuggets, after all.

Point guard Dennis Schroder is being sent back to the bench in favor of power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. This will restore the club's starting five from its first 11 playoff games.

Los Angeles' other four starters -- point guard D'Angelo Russell, shooting guard Austin Reaves (who moonlit as the club's starting small forward with Schröder starting in the backcourt), small forward LeBron James, Anthony Davis at center -- remain unchanged.

As LA got hammered by Denver on the glass (the Nuggets ultimately out-rebounded the Lakers 47-30), it became abundantly clear that a three-guard starting lineup made zero sense against a very tall, very big Denver Nuggets team that absolutely feasted on second-chance opportunities. 

Rui Hachimura, who enjoyed a huge two-way night for LA in helping the team rally from a 21-point deficit to a three-point margin late in the game, will remain on the bench, though many had speculated he could be the next Laker to have his name called earlier. It will be fascinating to see how many minutes Hachimura plays relative to Vanderbilt, who has been used sparingly since the middle of the second round due to his limitations as a scorer.

The action tips off tonight at 5:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.

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