Lakers Roll Out Chaotic New Starting Lineup to Fix Leaky Defense
Underdog NBA tweeted the lineup alert: 'Lakers will start Doncic, Reaves, Thybulle, LaRavia, Kessler on Friday.'
The are rolling out a starting five on Friday that looks like a 2K MyLeague save where the salary cap was turned off and the user just started hitting random buttons.
According to Underdog NBA, will start , , , , and against the .
If you are staring at a Lakers spread right now, this is the exact type of lineup alert that makes you reconsider your life choices. It is a chaotic blend of historic usage rates, elite perimeter defense with zero spacing, and the sheer mystery of minutes.
The backcourt is currently doing enough heavy lifting to require a chiropractor. is averaging a comical 36.2 points per game on a 39.7 percent usage rate, while is chipping in 26.7 points a night. The game plan is essentially two guys playing hero ball while three other guys do cardio and hope for a rebound.
This defensive pivot is not exactly a mystery if you have watched them play defense lately. The recently surrendered 131 points to the Toronto Raptors and 138 to the Miami Heat before finally stopping the bleeding in a 116-103 win over the . When you are giving up layup lines, you have to change the locks.
Throwing and into the starting group is a massive overcorrection for rim protection. Kessler is blocking 2.8 shots per game, which means he will be busy cleaning up the mess every time a guard blows past the first line of defense.
We will find out quickly if this defensive-heavy unit can actually score enough to survive against . If the floor spacing looks as cramped as it sounds on paper, the might be back at the drawing board before the weekend is over.