SAN FRANCISCO — Changes Amid Lakers’ Loss

During the Lakers’ frustrating defeat against the Suns on Thursday, there was a noticeable shift that could prove beneficial for the team in the future. Coach JJ Redick made some adjustments to the rotation that stood out.

The Lakers modified their lineup to let Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves share more time on the court together. This also meant LeBron James could stay on the court longer, at least for stretches without his star guard. And it looks like, based on the data, this could be a smart move.

In their last three games up until Thursday, Reeves had returned to the starting lineup after spending some time with limited minutes before the All-Star break. The recent rotations featured Doncic, Reaves, James, Marcus Smart, and Deandre Ayton from the start.

• For the Lakers, Smart and Ayton came off the bench, joined by Jake LaRabia and Jackson Hayes.
• If Rui Hachimura hadn’t gone out with LaRavia and Hayes, he’d probably sub in for James after just a few minutes, letting Doncic and Reeves play a minute or two without James until Luke Kennard took Reaves’ place.
• Reaves and James would start the second quarter together, while Doncic likely played most of the first quarter.
• Doncic wrapped up the last six or seven minutes of a second game, which allowed Reaves and James to take turns midway through, putting him on the bench for the final minutes of the second half.

This pattern persisted for the Lakers in the latter half of the game. James and Reeves tended to share most of their time together on the court. In the first three games post-break, they averaged about 30.2 minutes together, even accounting for approximately 10 minutes of playtime when Doncic wasn’t on the floor. Typically, when the Lakers used a lineup with just one key player, Doncic was the one leading that group.

However, things took a different direction against the Suns.

Doncic and Reeves played together for a significant 36 minutes, while James had several minutes on the floor without either of them during the second and fourth quarters. Against the Suns, there were few moments where James and Reaves shared the court without Doncic.

This adjustment aligns with the overall positive movement the Lakers have shown this season.

When Doncic and Reaves shared the court while James was off, the lineup outperformed opponents by 11.9 points per 100 possessions. A comparison with lineups that included James and Reaves without Doncic showed a lesser performance, only outpacing opponents by 4.2 points per 100 possessions.

In a configuration featuring only one of the team’s stars, James’ units did outperform those of Doncic and Reaves.

That said, the initial results of these changes weren’t quite as promising as hoped.

During the 11 minutes Doncic and Reeves were on the floor without James, the Lakers were down by five points. Additionally, James’ lineup didn’t perform up to expectations.

Surprisingly, the Lakers thrived best when all three stars were on the court, despite that not being the case for most of the season. They outscored the Suns by 16 points across the 25 minutes the trio was together. The Suns were also outscored by 19 points in the 23 minutes when the rest of the lineup was playing without all three together.

It’s uncertain whether the Lakers will maintain this new rotation approach. Still, considering how the season has unfolded, it definitely seems like a change worth examining further.