The Los Angeles Lakers's hot start to the season went cold after they went 1-4 over a stretch of five games after a 3-0 start to become a .500 team. After they fell to 4-4, head coach JJ Redick decided to bench D'Angelo Russell in favor of Cam Reddish, leading to the Lakers winning two straight games after that.
Despite the immediate success of Russell as the team's sixth man and Reddish providing defense in the starting five, reputed insider Anthony Irwin has revealed that the decision to change the starting five surprised the players and has caused some people internally to be concerned about how D'Lo will handle this demotion as the season goes on.
"Sources say the players were somewhat surprised Redick went away from Russell as quickly as he did, but, through improved communication, Redick has been able to maintain better buy-in. It also helped that he did give that group a shot from the onset of the season. Some internally are still concerned about how Russell will handle this over time, which makes it all the more important the Lakers keep winning as they figure out this new approach."
Russell was averaging 12.0 points on 37.5% from the field as a starter but has greatly improved his production to 16.5 points on 52.0% since moving to the bench. Russell leaving the starting five has also expanded LeBron James' impact on the game, as he's averaged 14.5 assists over two games as the team's primary ball-handler alongside Austin Reaves, with D'Lo getting space to cook bench lineups as the No. 1 option.
Despite Redick's claims that he'll play the best Lakers starting five at all times, his decision to bench Russell mirrors Darvin Ham's decision to bench Austin Reaves for Reddish at the start of last season. Both coaches came to this conclusion before the ninth game of the season, as it isn't a good idea defensively to play both Russell and Reaves as the starting backcourt.
Russell is better suited as a sixth man, as it allows him to have an expanded on-court role in his minutes off the bench when many starters come out. He gets to go against traditionally weaker defenders in second units and is currently in a contract year, so impressive coaches around the league as a versatile and good-natured offensive guard might bode well for him come next offseason.
It seems Redick's transparency with the players has fostered greater trust in what he's trying to do. As the report mentioned, the players are still bought into the system Redick is implementing, and ever since Russell was benched, it seems to have been working.
The Lakers will hope that this good form since the lineup change was made continues in their matchup on Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Getting more wins is always beneficial, but if Russell gets to see the tangible improvements that have come from him becoming a sixth man, he might be less likely to be resentful about the decision.
