An unforgivable 16-point defeat to a weak (at best) Chicago Bulls club has pushed the Lakers to only two games above.500, and they have now lost three consecutive games as well as four of their past five. 

Worse, this was the Lakers’ healthiest game of the season, making their poor performance all the more puzzling. 

Darvin Ham, who has been heavily criticized, had the following to say about the loss:

Although Ham’s remarks indicate that a lineup change may be in order, the topic of what such change should look like should be at the center of conversation. 

This year, LA has attempted a few different groupings, including ones with and without Reaves, Christie, and Reddish. 

The obvious assumption is that Ham is implying that D’Angelo Russell, who has been terrible in recent games, will be benched. As a result, he might start Gabe Vincent, who has been injured for the whole season and may not be particularly effective right away, as seen by his dismal 3-point percentage of 11.8. 

He might also consider starting Austin Reaves, but the problem is that Reaves fits the 6th man archetype much better than Russell, who lacks Reaves’ creating ability. 

Russell is often a touch better in terms of playmaking, particularly when it comes to making entry passes/throwing lobs, which are critical to LA’s antiquated offense operating. As a result, that exchange may or may not be effective. 

He may possibly be thinking about replacing Cam Reddish or Taurean Prince, neither of whom have been very effective, with someone like Rui Hachimura or Gabe Vincent. 

The same problem applies to Vincent (returning from injury), but Hachimura isn’t exactly an ideal match next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the same time, since his sluggish feet make it difficult for him to protect the perimeter at a high level. He’s a capable role player, but having him and Davis on the floor at the same time is a nightmare for switching, particularly against guard-led teams who rely heavily on iso/high pick-and-roll plays.