Same old story: Byron Scott tries shaking up Lakers lineup, gets same results
It’s no secret the Lakers (3-18) aren’t going to contend for a championship, or even a playoff spot, anytime soon.
Still, Byron Scott’s decision to bench Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell for Monday night’s game against the Raptors was a head-scratcher.
After all, the team has spent its last two draft picks on Randle (seventh overall in 2014) and Russell (second overall in 2015) as it prepares to move past the Kobe Bryant era and into the future. And after a rough start, Russell was starting to turn the corner, averaging 13 points and five assists in December.
The result of starting Larry Nance and Louis Williams over Randle and Russell was more of the same — the Lakers lost, 102-93. Randle actually had a good game off the bench, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 21 minutes. Russell didn’t fare as well, scoring just nine points on 4 of 12 shooting.
“Everybody has a story at the end of the day, as far as what they’ve been through to get to where they want to be or where they’re at at that point,” Russell said, via ESPN, when asked about being taken out of the starting lineup. “Hopefully, I can look back at this and laugh.”
