Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ third consecutive blowout loss in the preseason, head coach Byron Scott was not happy with his team, particularly the second unit.
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Much has been made of the Lakers figuring out their rotation and Byron Scott sounds like he will have a short one, saying he only needs seven or eight players according to Shahan Ahmed of NBC:
Byron upset. "I told them I only need 7 or 8 guys to play the way I need."
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) October 17, 2014
A particular disappointment for Scott was the bench, whom he said underperformed according to the Lakers official Twitter page:
Byron: “I was disappointed at times.“ 1st unit performed up to expectations, 2nd unit didn’t. Communication lacking on both ends.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 17, 2014
Injuries have really made it difficult to assess what the Lakers have. Many players who would be expected to be a part of the second unit such as Nick Young, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin were all unavailable tonight.
Jeremy Tyler, Keith Appling and Roscoe Smith all saw extensive minutes tonight and none of those players are guarantees to even make the team, let alone see the floor on a regular basis.
If Scott does indeed decide to go with only eight men, it will be interesting to see who he decides to go with. Players will be fighting intensely for larger roles and many players who made an impact last year could find themselves on the bench.
How it affects Kobe Bryant’s minutes will also be worth watching as it will be hard to limit Kobe’s minutes at the level they would like, if very few players are getting time.
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Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)
