The Los Angeles Lakers have had an up and down season as they struggle to find consistency.
Coach Darwin Ham struggled to find the right combination in the starting lineup with LeBron James and Anthony Davis under center.
There was another lineup change Monday as the Hams returned Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, James and Davis for the season opener. Four of the five starters scored in double figures and each starter had three or more assists.
That ultimately gave the Thunder a much-needed 112-105 win as the Lakers looked to snap their second straight home loss. James explained what this starting lineup needs to do to maintain success. Obviously we want to share the ball in attack and avoid turning it over.
Offensively, AD is always our focus, so he can start early and often.” James said. “Defensively we have to line up and help each other. And we need to help restore AD. If we do that, we will have a very good team of five.
As mentioned earlier, LA had excellent ball movement, posting 44 field goals and 30 assists. James believes that sharing the ball and gaining momentum on offense will be key moving forward. “I think our ball movement and speed is very important.
We try to stay up late and look really good. “I think if we don’t turn the ball over, we’re going to have some guys who get there late and some guys who aren’t forced,” he said. “But when guys get into a rhythm and have big assist plays, it’s a really good game for us. So we have to look at that and try to be consistent.
In this recent stretch, the Lakers have struggled for versatility on both sides of the ball, and Monday’s win showed that James and the team can watch film and move forward. That allows us to win, and when we watch film and see how well we did offensively and defensively, we try to apply that to the next player. That’s all.
“Now, halfway through the season, LA finds itself in the same situation as last year, trying to establish itself in the compact Western Conference. Trying to figure out which starting lineup fits the team best isn’t ideal, but pairing Reaves and Russell with James and Davis as starters might have been the solution all along.
