Lakers change lineup Russell to bench James returns to play point guard Vincent is considering surgery or 6-8 weeks off
On December 24, Beijing time, before the game against the Thunder, the Lakers decided to make a big change, Russell was demoted to the bench, James returned to play point guard, and teamed up with thick eyebrows, Reddish, Prince and Vanderbilt to start the game; Ham responded to the change to improve defense, and also revealed that Vincent has a swollen knee and will undergo the next step of rehabilitation.
Russell was demoted to the bench
Since winning the midseason title, the Lakers have only won 1-5 in 6 games and suffered a 4-game losing streak, and Russell's performance on the offensive end has struggled, in this situation, the Lakers decided to demote Russell to the bench, the first time this season and the first regular season substitute since returning to the Lakers, Vanderbilt replaced Russell into the starting lineup.
When it comes to the reason for the change, Ham said that the change represents the Lakers' focus "tilting toward defense." "Theoretically, this lineup can work on the defensive end and then create opportunities to switch offense, which will help the offense as well. ”
Russell averaged just 8.7 points per game throughout December, and in three of his last five games, Russell has failed to score in double figures, and in the loss to the Bulls, Russell played 28 minutes and scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
The Lakers started their game with a new start
In the last game, James missed Forest Lang due to injury, and today James is sure to return, the starting five tigers of the Lakers vs. Thunder are James, thick eyebrows, Reddish, Prince and Vanderbilt, James changed to starting point guard, Russell, Hachimura and Reaves came off the bench, and the annual salaries of the three of them ranked third, fourth and fifth in the team, second only to James and thick eyebrows.
This is the first time that the Lakers have used such a starting lineup this season, and it is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the season, the Lakers had a poor start to the season, and after suffering a three-game losing streak, Ham demoted Reaves to the bench, and in the bench lineup, Reaves performed better, and the Lakers' record also improved.
Vincent's knee was swollen and hurt again
Vincent, who had been injured for 23 consecutive games due to injury, officially returned, played 14 minutes in the first game, got 3 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound in 1 of 4, and then missed the Timberwolves due to injury management.
It was revealed that Vincent was considering surgery and could be absent for 6-8 weeks.
So far this season, Vincent has only played in 5 games, averaging 25.4 minutes per game, scoring 5.4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1.2 steals, and shooting 11.8% from three-point range.