With an assortment of new players on the Los Angeles Lakers roster, figuring out the rotation was a pleasant exercise. Outside of Kobe Bryant and Jordan Hill, there were many the direction the Lakers could go: youth, veterans, offense, defense, inside-out, outside-in, etc.
But after a long summer of guessing, the speculation has come to and end as head coach Byron Scott revealed Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, and Jordan Hill are all penned in as starters, leaving applauded acquisitions Jeremy Lin and 2014 first-round selection Julius Randle to come off the bench.
From the Los Angeles Daily News:
"Scott will spend training camp figuring out his starting lineup, which he says will currently feature Nash, Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill. He is leaning toward starting Wesley Johnson at small forward because of his defensive potential and relying on Nick Young’s prolific scoring off the bench. Scott also reported Xavier Henry has not fully recovered from left wrist and right knee injuries."
Whichever five-man unit Scott named as starters for the 2014-15 season, he was going to receive criticism. The small forward won’t draw attention because of the mundane players at the position, but all eyes are on point guard.
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The decision to start Nash over Lin means that Nash is expected to be fully healthy. Even then, he’s probably not a better player than Lin is at this point in their respective careers, but if he’s healthy, he can run the offense, lessening what Kobe Bryant is forced to do, leaving Lin to help carry the offense alongside Nick Young and company.
Going with Boozer over Randle is what’s going to cause constant conversation. Boozer may be the better player, but him receiving the bulk of the minutes over Randle who could, one day, become an NBA All-Star–or better–and by stifling his development early on in order to trod out a veteran lineup in which they assume can be the driving force to a playoff bid seems extremely short-sighted. Considering Byron Scott’s situation, you can’t blame him for thinking in the short-term because the odds of him coaching past the end of Kobe’s contract are slim to none unless he severely overachieves at his position.
Of course, these lineups aren’t set in stone–anything can happen in the season (injury, overachieving, trade, etc.) that could propel Lin, Randle, and any other young player on the Lakers (Ryan Kelly, Jordan Clarkson) into a bigger role.
But for now, it’s veterans to start to show with youthful energy off the bench.