In the NBA regular season that ended today, the Lakers defeated the Thunder 129-120 away, ending a four-game losing streak.
This game is very important for the Lakers, this is not only a game to end the losing streak, but also the first game after the Lakers changed the lineup, so this victory is also of high reference value for the Lakers' tactics.
In this game, the Lakers adjusted the starters, Russell played the bench, James changed to point guard, and the starting lineup was:
James, Prince, Reddish, Vanderbilt, Anthony Davis.
This is an atypical big and four small, because these four small are actually not small, or it can be called a 5-forward lineup, and the main focus is a balance.
Why the Lakers can put on such a lineup is because they have James, a playmaking forward, who is more than capable of handling the ball. Those who are familiar with the Lakers may know that the Lakers won the championship in 2020 by relying on a similar lineup.
James plays the ball, Danny Green and Pope play outside, and the inside is a partnership between Davis and McGee.
It's just that the difference is on the inside, Anthony Davis plays 4 or 5, the reason why Davis plays 5 and Vanderbilt plays 4 is mainly because Reddish and Prince's 3D ability is still relatively large compared to Green and Pope, so Vanderbilt needs to be supplemented.
This lineup, the main hit is a misalignment, liberating James, James shot 13 of 20, including 5 of 5 three-pointers, and got 40 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, which is the existence of a large point guard.
Davis finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks on 11-of-21 shooting.
Prince scored 10 points and Reddish scored 4 points, which is obviously a big gap with Danny Green and Pope before.
Fortunately, the Lakers' bench supply, Reaves came off the bench to get 11 points and 9 assists, Hachimura became a wonder soldier, scoring 21 points, Russell came off the bench, and only played 17 minutes, scored 15 points, and the plus/minus was just 0.
In addition, Hayes played 6 minutes and only had 1 assist, and all other statistics were 0.
It can be seen from this game that Russell's status in the Lakers has plummeted, and has even become the main object of future transactions, after all, in today's game, Lakers James has 7 assists, Davis has 7 assists, Reddish has 7 assists, Reaves has 9 assists, and the 4 people have a total of 30 assists, and there is no need for Russell's organization and strategy.
In addition, Russell's defensive ability is average, his three-point shooting is not very stable, and his style of play is slow, which is no longer suitable for the rhythm of the Lakers today. If Russell is replaced with a more suitable 3D player, it will be a great addition for the Lakers, and it can even replicate the 2020 model.
Reddish's three-point shot is not good, if Russell trades to get a good 3D player, the Lakers can put out an outside lineup of James, 3D players, and Prince, Prince's three-point shooting rate this season is 39%, which is still relatively good, and this lineup is the same as in 2020.
Once the perimeter is on track and the defense can keep up, then the Lakers can continue to have Davis play the No. 4 position and Hayes start the No. 5 position.
There are Reaves, Hachimura, Vanderbilt, Reddish, and Wood on the bench, and this lineup is not bad at playing speed and offense.
Like the Warriors, the change of lineup may be the beginning of the Northern Expedition, and I don't know if the Lakers will have a big deal in the future.