It's no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers, beyond LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, amid Anthony Davis' injury, are struggling for depth, particularly in the frontcourt. In fact, it got to the point where head coach Darvin Ham saw it fit to eschew playing a big man altogether, and during the fourth quarter no less, during the Lakers' 124-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas day.
To start the fourth, the Lakers had LeBron James as the nominal center on the court. James, a 6'8 small forward by trade, is no center, but at least he has experience playing the position. However, on the 6:44 mark of the fourth, Darvin Ham's lineup shenanigans ensued. Lonnie Walker IV replaced James, leaving the 6'5 Reaves as the tallest player on the court for the Lakers alongside Walker, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, and Patrick Beverley.
And surely enough, the Lakers promptly gave up two open dunks to a cooking Christian Wood, including a sequence where the Mavs big man looked like a man amongst boys in the paint after two offensive rebounds. Simply put, the experiment was a misfire. Still, the first-time head coach tried to justify his decision after the game, saying that the guards could up the tempo as LA was trying to mount a comeback.
“Just trying to get more possessions in the game. Any of those guys can get the defensive rebound and push it. It's just trying to play faster at the end of the day,” Ham said.
There might be merit to Darvin Ham's idea, but the context of the game matters. Christian Wood was on fire all night long. Wood had 30 points, eight boards, and seven dimes on 12-17 shooting, including the two easy dunks he had.
At the end of the day, this might be a cry for help more than anything. Ham is just doing what he thinks is best to maximize the Lakers' flawed roster. And with the purple and gold currently on a four-game rut, the Lakers will have to find some remedies soon as they continue to lose ground in the Western Conference.
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