Lakers News: Darvin Ham Alludes To Possible Starter Change After LA's 3rd Straight Defeat

Is this even going to change anything?

An inexcusable 16-point loss to a mediocre (at best) Chicago Bulls team has left the Lakers just 2 games above .500 and have dropped 3 straight games as well as 4 of their last 5. 

Worse, this was the healthiest the Lakers have been all season, making this awful performance even more inexplicable. 

Here's what Darvin Ham, who has been subject to much criticism, had to say about the loss:

Darvin Ham on making a change to the Lakers' starting lineup: "It's always an option to do that. You've gotta really look at your group and see what makes the most sense...On the other hand, with different bodies coming in and out of the lineup, you have to have some sort of… https://t.co/v5drAD1F4r

— michael corvo (@michaelcorvo_) December 21, 2023

Ham's comments definitely suggest that a lineup change could be in order, but the question of what exactly that change looks like should be the forefront of discussion. 

LA has tried a few different groups this year, including ones with/without Reaves, with/without Christie, and with/without Reddish. 

The immediate guess is that Ham is hinting at the benching of D'Angelo Russell, who has been awful the past few games. In response, he could start Gabe Vincent, who has been injured for the entire season, so he may not be very productive out of the gate, evident by his atrocious 3-point percentage of 11.8. 

He could also look to start Austin Reaves, but the issue there is that Reaves fits the 6th man archetype significantly better than Russell, who doesn't have the creation skills of Reaves. 

Playmaking-wise, Russell is normally a bit better at least as it pertains to making entry passes/throwing lobs, which is integral to LA's archaic offense functioning. To that end, that swap may not necessarily be effective. 

He could also be considering replacing Cam Reddish or Taurean Prince, neither of whom have been good, with someone like Rui Hachimura or Gabe Vincent. 

The same issue I previously discussed applies to Vincent (returning from injury), but regarding Hachimura, he's not exactly an ideal fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the same time, as given his slow feet, he struggles to guard the perimeter at a high level. He's a solid role player, but having him and Davis out there at a time is a nightmare for switching, especially against guard-led teams that run a lot of iso/high pick-and-roll actions. 

This team is in dire, dire need of a trade, as being a poor offense means that there's absolutely no cushion for a poor defensive performance, as we saw against Chicago, and have previously seen against teams like Houston, Orlando, and Sacramento. 

Change is needed in LA, but one can only hope it's made.