The Lakers might be smart to address their defensive matchup concerns versus teams who start high-scoring backcourts or twin tower front courts by giving 7 players starting opportunities in 5 different starting lineups.
There’s no question JJ Redick would be taking a foolish and unnecessary risk by embracing multiple matchup starting lineups but it could also be a great fit for this Lakers roster that solves many of their defensive issues. Besides a base starting lineup, all NBA teams already have specialized lineups to use against opponents who play small ball, have multiple elite backcourt scorers, two bruising bigs, or both. They just don’t start them.
Most NBA teams prefer to have the same 5 players as their starting lineup.
Wouldn’t it be smarter for them to expand the starters by allowing the best two defenders off the bench to start whenever the matchups call for it?
The Lakers should designate 7 starters and utilize them to create 5 lineups: a base starting lineup plus 4 custom lineups for small ball, better backcourt defense, front court defense, or both backcourt and front court defense.
For the purposes of illustration, I have presumed the Lakers do out and trade Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dalton Knecht for 2 elite defenders Andrew Wiggins and Robert Williams.
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Andrew Wiggins, LeBron James, and De’Andre Ayton would be core starters. Normally, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams would be 6th and 7th man. On the Lakers, they also get an occasional start.
The goal of the matchup starting lineup strategy is twofold. It’s designed to improve starting lineup defensive matchups and accelerate development of additional starters. If your base starting lineup works, you just go with it.
But if you’re playing against multiple high-powered backcourt shooters, you might want to start Marcus Smart instead of Austin Reaves. Against a team with two bigs, you might want Robert Williams instead of Andrew Wiggins,
Bottom line, adding Smart and Williams as matchup starters would greatly improve Lakers’ defense. Following are the proposed Lakers’ base starting lineup along with four customized defensive matchup starting lineups:
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Proposed trade???? Completed trade…..then hypothetical starting lineups…. by the way, I noticed Rui Hachimura is not in any of those 3rd stage (hypothetical starting lineups)….and I would not trade him….I see him as being a 20 ppg/ 7 rpg contributor whenever Lebron is resting or retired….
Robert Williams?! lol.
Do you mean DeAndre Ayton?
I guess I’m confused as to this:
I have presumed the Lakers do out and trade Rui Hachimura
If you mean “go out and trade” then this is just a big post about a team that doesn’t actually exist. We have neither player and, frankly, are unwilling to see it come to be.
I think the problem here is that Miami does want an unprotected future 1st round pick with Rui and DK for any Wiggins deal. Lakers want to preserve cap space and that pick if in case is intended for Giannis or Joker if anyone of them becomes available next season. It will also allow them to have 2 or 3 1RP by next summer to trade.
With Robert Williams, we do not have any 2RP to trade. I bet they will be asking at least 2-3 2RP for him plus something that has value. The expiring contracts of Gabe and Maxi would not be a good deal for the Blazers. Plus Jarred’s contract is considered as a negative value in the league right now. So he is untradeable.
Let’s see how Rui improved this summer and how he can build from last season. To me, the way he has been playing especially in the playoffs has been great. So hard to trade him when we already lack wings.
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