The Los Angeles Lakers need to play small ball moving forward

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Stanley Johnson #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a play with teammate LeBron James #6 during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

If entering the All-Star break with a 27-31 record wasn’t bad enough for the Los Angeles Lakers, the knowledge that they’ll be without the services of Anthony Davis for the next few weeks due to a foot sprain he suffered in the final game prior to the annual layoff is clearly the furthest thing from ideal.

As the record suggests, the Lakers’ season to date has been incredibly underwhelming. While the consequences of the offseason trade to acquire Russell Westbrook have been documented to death, the overall inconsistency of their lineups, and hence player availability, has been a far more underrated theme of the year.

To this point, the Lakers have used 28 different starting lineups, due to both a combination of underperforming players, roster mismanagement, and the effects of COVID and injury, like all teams have had to deal with in some way or form.

With Anthony Davis sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Los Angeles Lakers have no option but to go small and live with the results

But interestingly enough, it’s the starting lineup they rolled out in their most recent outing that’s been their most used thus far this season. In five games as a starting lineup, the combination of LeBron James, Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Stanley Johnson, and Malik Monk has produced a 4-1 record.

After commencing the season with DeAndre Jordan as the starting center, and at times Dwight Howard, head coach Frank Vogel later revealed that he would be taking a different course for the remainder of the season.

With Davis out of the picture, for the time being, the aforementioned five-man lineup now has the opportunity to find some continuity, and most importantly, consistency. In particular, it’s Monk who needs to be utilized the most.

Malik Monk needs to be accentuated by the Lakers while Anthony Davis is out

For the season, the fifth-year guard has averaged 13.0 points in 27.1 minutes per game. However, in his 19 games as a starter, those numbers jump to 17.5 points in 32.8 minutes per game, including hitting at a terrific 42.4 percent clip from three-point range on 7.3 attempts. It’s clear the constant theme here is James, with whom Monk is shooting at a sizzling 50.9 percent clip from the field when sharing the court.

Over the course of the season, the Lakers are 8-2 when Monk has scored at least 22 points. His ability to score both on and off the ball has been one of the few positives this season for the team. In addition to Monk, Johnson and Bradley are primarily in the lineup as versatile defenders who have the ability to work off the ball and let James and Westbrook operate.

This leads us back to the elephant in the room, which is an unusual way to describe a nine-time All-Star and former league MVP. Westbrook has been a world of inconsistency since arriving in Los Angeles. And while the fit with James made little sense to almost all observers, the Lakers simply have no other option but to do the best they can with what they have.

In addition to being the most used starting lineup this season, the five-man lineup of James, Westbrook, Johnson, Bradley, and Monk has also compiled the most total minutes of any quintet this season, albeit just 77 total minutes.

In some positive news, this five-man unit has registered an elite 125.6 offensive rating, which, among the 99 five-man lineups across the league this season that have played at least 75 minutes, ranks seventh in offensive rating. This is a stark contrast to the Lakers’ 23rd ranked 108.8 offensive rating on the year.

And while the loss of Anthony Davis will be an enormous challenge, the Lakers have already dealt with this before this season. They compiled a 7-10 record when the 28-year-old was sidelined for 17 games with a left knee injury.

With just 24 games remaining in the regular season, there’s simply no time for let up for the remainder of the roster available. But with the knowledge that this alternate starting lineup has contributed positively to date, going small is really the only way forward for the Los Angeles Lakers.