The Los Angeles Lakers rolled out their new starting lineup for the second game in a row with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt.
The new Lakers lineup was meant to infuse defensive energy, and it seemed to work in their first game together. But Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics was closer to a disaster than a success.
The Celtics began the game on a 12-0 run and the Lakers failed to score their first points until the 8:59 mark of the first quarter when Reddish nailed a 3-pointer. When the Lakers made their first substitution at 7:43 — bringing in Austin Reaves for Vanderbilt — they trailed 14-5.
And while L.A. had all the time in the world to make up that gap, the 11-point loss feels like a direct result of the slow start.
Prince, the most consistent starter alongside James and Davis this season, believes the slow start was not a result of anything other than the Celtics making their shots and the Lakers missing theirs.
“Credit to them, they came out on point and hit shots. I think that’s really the only difference. They didn’t do anything that surprised us. We had good looks in that first stint, they just didn’t drop. But credit to them coming out ready to go,” Prince said.
Prince opted not to make any commentary on the new starting lineup and instead chose to focus on controlling what he can control while suggesting that everyone else on the Lakers do the same.
“It’s not much. I can’t really comment much on those things, I just go out and play basketball,” he said. “Whatever lineup is out there, I like. I like everybody on the team, whatever position they’re in. At the end of the day, we all got to come in and do our jobs no matter if it’s starting the game or coming off the bench.”
The Lakers forward spoke about what he believes could help the Lakers moving forward beyond just the starting lineup.
“Not just off of tonight, but in general, just knowing when to do what,” Prince said. “Knowing our personnel, knowing what we want to force them into doing and having proper communication going into the defensive possession and during. So I just think talking a lot more can help, especially the bottom backside guys who can see everything that’s going on. To have that communication, I think will raise the level of everybody.”
The Lakers have felt somewhat disjointed for a majority of the season, and that could have to do with frequent injuries constantly changing the rotation game-to-game.
“I think it’s a simple plug and play, honestly. There’s not many young guys on the roster that get good minutes. We’re all seasoned vets and guys who have been in the league. It’s all about just paying attention to detail, knowing what we want to do and then executing it,” Prince added.
That type of sentiment has been shared by several Lakers players as the team has skidded in the past two weeks. The Celtics loss represents the team’s sixth in eight games. It has dropped them all the way to 16-15 and the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference nearly 40% of the way through the regular season.
Lakers trade rumors: Dejounte Murray interest
While the Lakers try to figure out their rotations and consistency with what they have, the front office is weighing some options to improve externally. One player the Lakers may be reportedly targeting is Atlanta Hawks defensive-minded guard Dejounte Murray.
Whether or not the Lakers can acquire him depends on the direction the middling Hawks decide to go in.
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