Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton changed up the starting lineup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, inserting both Ivica Zubac and David Nwaba in for Nick Young and Tarik Black, making the average age of the Lakers first unit 21 years old.
After the game, Walton talks about the valuable learning experiences, most especially close end of game scenarios like they had in their 118-116 loss.
On the bright side, Jordan Clarkson had probably his best game this season, scoring a career-high 30 points to go along with a season-high eight assists and six rebounds, all while coming off the bench. Walton said he chatted with Clarkson pregame about not moving him into the starting lineup and the reasoning for his decision.
Both Nwaba and Zubac discuss what it was like to be thrown into the starting lineup, especially with so much youth. Julius Randle praises Zubac for not only his skill, but his high IQ on the basketball court, while D’Angelo Russell addresses communication lapses, especially on the defensive end.
Brandon Ingram remains optimistic about the future and stays focused on the bigger picture, despite frustrations. It’s all in our videos below.
D’Angelo Russell
Julius Randle
Ivica Zubac
Brandon Ingram
David Nwaba
