The silver lining behind the Lakers’ 3-game collapse is mounting pressure on Redick to break up their Big Three to upgrade and rebalance both their starting lineup and rotation by having James and Ayton come off bench.
Right now, the Lakers are a mess. Their 3-game losing streak has dropped them to #6 seed in the West with just a 1-game lead over Phoenix, who just won their third straight against LA to lock up their 4-game season series. The earlier chemistry and camaraderie that made the team unbeatable in clutch games has turned into lackluster performances, unforced errors, and absence of trust from players who know they won’t be here next year.
Only a fool would continue to ignore the negative net ratings generated by the Lakers’ Big Three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. Statistically, the Big Three simply cannot win their minutes on the court.
Yet Redick keeps throwing them out there for 16 minutes per game or one third of the total minutes in a normal NBA game. No matter how you slice it, the Lakers Big Three gives up 10 points per game more than they score.
What’s even more frustrating is the Lakers’ lineup data confirms that there are winning lineups with Luka, Austin, and Jaxson and backup lineups with LeBron, Rui, and Deandre that win the minutes they’re on the court.
For an organization whose ‘best practices’ should include analytics and data driven decision making, the Lakers must listen to the data, break up the Big Three, and move LeBron James and Deandre Ayton to the bench.
Redick needs to take the bull by the horns and sit down with LeBron and show him why the Lakers must break up the Big Three and create two new starter-quality lineups, one led by Luka and Austin and one led by LeBron.
REDICK NEEDS TO CONVINCE JAMES TO COME OFF BENCH
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No NBA head coach wants to be the one to ask LeBron James to come off the bench after starting for over 23 years because Lakers need to upgrade and rebalance their starting lineup’s defense and their bench’s offense.
Yet that’s exactly the situation second year Lakers’ head coach JJ Redick finds himself in right now. While the sample size is relatively small, the Lakers’ Big Three has struggled to win the minutes they’re on the court.
The numbers don’t lie. Starting Doncic, Reaves, and James has not been the juggernaut the Lakers hoped for. The trio’s major skillsets are redundant on offense and their offense-first approach undermines the starters’ defense.
Frankly, LeBron’s too smart to be surprised when JJ sits down with him and suggests the only way the Lakers can get transform the team is to break up the Big Three and have him come off the bench. He already knows that.
But LeBron also realizes the Lakers are likely to move on without him next season and that Luka and Austin are clearly the franchise’s future priority. The result is LeBron James suddenly isn’t willing to defer to Austin Reaves.
The challenge facing JJ Redick is the time is rapidly coming when he must sit down with his good friend and former podcast partner to suggest that the Lakers need to break up the Big Three with him going to the bench.
LeBron James to the bench has become the giant elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about but is suddenly causing tension and conflict between the Big Three that’s partly behind why the team has cratered.
In the end, breaking up the starting Big Three, starting Luka and Austin, and having LeBron come off the bench is the only viable Hail Mary the Lakers and JJ Redick have to transform this season from loser to winner
TIME IS FINALLY RIGHT FOR LEBRON TO COME OFF BENCH
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The harsh reality is the heavy weight of Father Time is finally starting to tarnish the greatness of LeBron James as he struggles to finish at the rim, control his once elite handle, and shoot a high percentage from deep.
Like he was forced to come off the bench in the All-Star Game, the time has come for LeBron to come off the bench for the Lakers. LA doesn’t have role players to make the Big Three work and they can’t bench Luka or Austin.
Moving LeBron James to the bench also makes it easier for JJ Redick to sell Deandre Ayton on how many more shots and touches he would receive as the second or third option coming off the bench with LeBron and Rui.
While there’s a risk in asking LeBron and Deandre to come off the bench, it’s the only viable roster move left for JJ to make. He needs to listen to what the data is telling him and break up the Big Three as soon as possible.
We’ve seen in these last three losses exactly what is going to happen to this team if we do not make major changes. All the chemistry and camaraderie of the great early start to the season has been lost in the recent collapse.
Frankly, LeBron James finishing the season and playoffs coming off the bench but winning would just confirm the greatness of his career. Nobody understands how to play the game the right way more than LeBron.
Every great player says all that matters is winning championships but how many legends are willing to come off the bench or sacrifice shots and touches or take less than their max salary to win that championship?
After 23 seasons of unquestioned greatness, LeBron James will ultimately agree that the time has come for him to come off the bench so the Lakers can optimize their talent and have a chance to win another championship.
DEANDRE WILL GET MORE SHOTS & TOUCHES OFF BENCH
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The silver lining in breaking up the Big Three and moving James to the bench is it gives Redick an opportunity to promote Hayes as new starting center and move Deandre Ayton to the bench with LeBron and Rui.
Hopefully, playing alongside two other former starters in LeBron and Rui and being promised more shots and touches will ease the sting out for Deandre of being moved to the bench. Lakers still to need Ayton’s best.
We’re already seeing JJ rolling out LeBron lineups without Luka and Austin where James essentially plays point guard and feeds Deandre and Rui with wide open shot opportunities. Those are the winning LeBron lineups.
Redick’s goal should be to create two legitimate starter-quality 5-man lineups that can each dominate their minutes on the court and then let them compete against each other to see who can create best net rating.
While Luka and Austin can become an offensive juggernaut, they’re never going to be as good defensively as the LeBron only lineups, which can be customized with shooters like Kennard and defenders like Vanderbilt.
JJ Redick needs to find ways for every player on the Lakers to feel needed and empowered and to be given an opportunity to show what they can do to help the team win, which is not how this team obviously feels right now.
The Lakers’ mental state is teetering right now. Deandre Ayton is the perfect example of a player who suddenly feels left out without nothing to play for but stats. It’s what happens when everybody’s contracts expire.
While Deandre may not be their center of the future, JJ needs him to buy in on moving to the bench with LeBron and Rui if the Lakers are successfully going to play their way out of this hole and into the playoffs this season.
I think there are a few more moves that can be made. Regardless, this one makes both the most sense on paper and has the lowest chance of happening. Reddick has neither the temperament, cajones, or desire to do this. Furthermore the Lakers themselves have no desire to do this. It’s akin to asking Kobe, Magic or Kareem to come off the bench. Just isn’t gonna happen no matter what numbers anyone wants to throw out there say. LeBron would have to want to do this and that’s not going to happen. Better to start them, play them for 5 minutes, move LeBron to the bench and keep that going until 3 minutes in the half and 5 minutes to end the 4th.