The sky is not falling after the Lakers snapped their seven-game win streak with a Monday loss to the Suns. However, they must get back on track ahead of a grueling east coast trip. LA will face the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers as part of a three-games-in-four-nights stretch later this week.
While head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the slate will be a “tough challenge” for the Lakers, what may be just as difficult is figuring out what to do with two notable contributors.
Lakers Face Key Dilemmas Ahead of East Coast Tilt
Rui Hachimura’s Status
Rui Hachimura has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, averaging 14 points on 54% shooting from the field. But it came to a screeching halt after he only took one shot against Phoenix. Addressing the media postgame, he said:
“Playing with these guys, I signed up for that. I understand it… But with this, I think the whole team, everyone knows and understands, that’s not how we’re gonna win. Those games that we’ve been winning, we’ve been passing to each other, we’ve been trusting each other and playing for each other to win those games. So it’s a tough one for me, but it is what it is. It’s one of those games where I gotta just [forget it] and move on to the next game.”
Hachimura has proven he fits in well alongside LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and games like Monday’s could easily be considered a one-off performance. However, as common themes emerge among LA’s five losses, getting Rui back on track may require a change to the first unit.
In evaluating the Lakers’ setbacks, insider Jovan Buha highlighted the team’s struggles with speed, athleticism, shooting and ball security. He added that a short-term solution could involve moving Hachimura to the bench, writing: “LA has a 128.3 defensive rating and -5.6 net rating with those three on the floor (w/ three of their four opponents being lottery teams).”
Such a move would not be a result of Hachmura’s recent comments. Rather, it could serve as a different look for a team that already has three dominant scorers at its disposal—something that was floated around when the Lakers signed Marcus Smart this summer. Perhaps Redick sticks to what has worked so far or tries something new over the Lakers’ road trip.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s Standing
Despite posting a clean bill of health entering this season, defensive ace Jarred Vanderbilt has gotten the short end of the stick ever since James returned from sciatica. In 18.4 minutes per game, Vando has put up 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 44% from the field, 28.6% from three and 84% from the free-throw line. However, he hasn’t seen a second of action since James made his season debut on Nov. 18.
Redick addressed Vanderbilt’s situation on Tuesday and commended the eighth-year wing’s professionalism throughout the ordeal.
“He’s been good. He’s been a pro, he’s been great in the most recent stay-ready that we had this week. He was great. He’s been a great teammate, so no surprise there. I communicated to him before LeBron came back that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back, and that there was potentially gonna be a numbers crunch because we probably were gonna play a nine-man rotation and that was just the reality.”
He emphasized that Vanderbilt’s exit from the rotation is not permanent, adding:
“When you’re winning games, it’s hard to re-do the rotation mid-winning streak. So we’re looking at everything … But I certainly have empathy for him and it’s not an easy situation to be in as a coach and certainly not a fun situation for him to be in as a player.”
If Smart continues to miss time due to back spasms, it may give Vanderbilt a chance to take over as the bench’s lead ball stopper, a role he embraced throughout his tenure with the purple and gold. However, that’s likely contingent on if he can show signs of life on offense the next time he checks in for LA.
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