OKLAHOMA CITY — The Los Angeles Lakers are shuffling their starting lineup at the same time they are likely to lose one of their reserve guards for the foreseeable future.
Jarred Vanderbilt will replace D'Angelo Russell in the starting lineup for Saturday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
The rest of the starters — LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish — will remain the same. «We chose to lean into our defensive side of the ball,» Ham said of the change. «And when you play great defense, it makes the offense a little bit easier.
And so, just wanted to lean into that side of the ball. Start out a little bit bigger.» Russell's move to the bench comes while minutes are opening in L.A.'s backcourt.