The 2024-25 Lakers will begin the season with the starting unit of Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, new Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed on September 24.
In an interview with ESPN’s Zach Lowe on “The Lowe Post” podcast, Redick noted that the same 5-man unit maintained a win-loss record of 23-10 in the 2023-24 season.
“Yeah. It will be the starting five that went 23-10 last year,” Redick said.
Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham started the 2023-24 season with the starting five of Davis, Taurean Prince, James, Reaves and Russell, but routinely changed up his rotations in the first half of the season. While Hachimura didn’t break into the main unit until the latter end of the season, Russell and Reaves swapped places several times before finding their roles in the starting 5 before the All-Star break.
Ham’s excessive lineup changes led to a lot of criticism, with analysts, fans and even players calling for more continuity and patience.
Darvin Ham Defended Lineup Changes
Shortly after he was fired as Lakers head coach, Ham defended his decisionmaking in the 2023-24 season, stating that he had to deal with injuries and other issues all year.
“It’s been extremely challenging,” Ham told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Everyone that’s been in and out of the lineup. Being criticized for not having a consistent rotation when I don’t have consistent healthy bodies. The thing that frustrates me, and I love this job, I love the pressure that comes with it, I’ve always been calm in the midst of chaos … [But] common sense tends to go out the window when you talk about my job in particular.
“It’s amazing how people just skip that core part of having a consistency with your lineup is all predicated on health and performance. If you’re coaching a team and one of your starters is like 10 games in a row, just [expletive] the bed, what are you going to do?”
To Ham’s point, the Lakers dealt with injuries to role players such as Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish, who missed 53, 71 and 34 games, respectively. However, the Lakers’ main starting five — the one that went 23-10 — was mostly healthy in the 2023-24 season, save for Hachimura, who missed 14 games.
Hachimura Urged to Step Up
Hachimura was one of those players who failed to receive constant playing time under Ham. However, Redick has hinted at being a big believer in the Gonzaga product.
Even former Lakers player Patrick Beverley believes Hachimura has the skill set to turn into a proficient three-and-D weapon in the NBA.
“Rui, he a good basketball player, but he’s not the X-factor to me,” Beverley said on the “Pat Bev Pod” on September 23. “Actually, you know what, he should be the X-factor because he gets paid as the X-factor should be. So yeah, [expletive], we go put him X-factor. He needs to do more, he needs to do more.”
“He has to come in like, ‘I’m the second option.’ His mindset has to be, yeah, it’s AD here, it’s LeBron here, it’s Austin Reaves here, it’s D’Lo here, but no, AD getting it, I’m the second option. That has to be his mindset, you know? Because they do need that.”
Beverley further argued that Hachimura could play a role similar to former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, who was critical to the team’s NBA title win in 2020.
Hachimura averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his second season with the Lakers. The Japanese player was drafted No. 9 overall by the Wizards in 2019 before being traded to the Lakers during the 2022-23 season.
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