By all accounts, the Los Angeles Lakers improved their roster with yesterday’s Dorian-Finney Smith–D’Angelo Russell. But now, the real work starts for JJ Redick, as the Lakers have important rotation decisions coming up. Perhaps the most pressing is how to use Max Christie.
Los Angeles came into the season with high hopes of competing in the final year(s) as LeBron James’s career is winding down, but also a very flawed roster. Still, LA has the league’s ninth-best record at 18-13, which is the franchise’s best mark at this point of the season since 2019. Overall, the Lakers have won two in a row and are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for fifth in the West.
Los Angeles Lakers Have Important Rotation Decisions To Make. Has Max Christie Improved Enough To Remain In Rotation?
Los Angeles has been average offensively this season despite shooting 47.4% from the field, which is the ninth-best in the league. The Lakers have been excellent around the rim, led by Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and getting to the free-throw line. In total, five Lakers have finished at an 80% clip or better at the rim.
Los Angeles has also done a good job sharing the ball with six players, including Russell, who have averaged double figures and are not turning it over. The Lakers’ biggest issue besides overall depth is their lack of shooters. Prior to the Russell trade, five Lakers averaged more than one three-pointer a game. However, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Rui Hachimura are the only players shooting better than 36% from long distance.
Los Angeles’ biggest issues have been on the defensive end and depth. The Lakers have a minus-2.1 point differential, allowing the 18th most points in the league (114.1). They are 21st in defensive rating (114.9), as their opponents are shooting 47.7% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers’ interior and transition defense have been their biggest issues. The Lakers, who are not a good rebounding team, allow the 1oth most second-chance points. They also permit the fourth-most paint (52) and fifth-most fast break points (17.5).
Why The DFS Trade Important For The Lakers?
Due to the Lakers’ roster construction and, more significantly, they had very little financial flexibility as they were up against the punitive second apron. The Russell-Finney-Smith trade was just what the Lakers needed.
While Russell was theoretically one of the Lakers’ best players this year, the 28-year-old wasn’t consistent enough and is a liability defensively. The Lakers also parted ways with seldom-used Maxwell Lewis, who is still developing, and three second-round picks.
Finney-Smith is a versatile 3-and-D forward who usually checks the opponent’s best offensive player. He can play every position except point guard, though his skill set is best suited for the three and four.
Finney-Smith is also a true professional and was playing some of the best basketball of his career. The 31-year-old averages 10.4 points,4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 29 minutes over 20 games this season. He is making a career-high 2.4 threes with shooting splits of 45.9/43.5/62.5.
“By comparison to Christie and [Gabe] Vincent, Finney-Smith is far more capable as a shooter and more versatile as a defender, ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton said. “He’s precisely the kind of player the Lakers have lacked since dealing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green, the starting wings on their 2020 championship team.”
“According to ESPN Research, Second Spectrum tracking shows that Finney-Smith is the only player in the NBA this season to defend players listed as guards, forwards, and centers each for at least 15 half-court matchups per game.”
Shake Milton
Shake Milton, who was essentially a throw-in for Brooklyn in their Mikal Bridges trade to New York, is an end-of-second-unit type player (9th-12th). But the 28-year-old can provide instant offense off the bench and is a capable facilitator.
Milton was having a good season with the Nets, producing one double-double with 7.4 points and 2.3 assists. He is not a huge 3-point threat, though. He canning one trey a game this season and shooting 36% from beyond the arc for his career.
Who Does The Trade Most Effect?
That is a good question. Redick has typically used nine players this year in his rotation, but that is up to debate due to all the injuries to the Lakers frontcourt.
James, Hachimura, Davis, and Reaves average 33 minutes a game. While 10 Lakers are averaging at least 17 minutes a game, the team’s reserves are seeing the fourth fewest minutes at 15.5 minutes a contest.
Christie, Knecht, Vincent, and Cam Redish are all in line to see a decrease in minutes with the trade. But Redish is probably the player who sees his role diminish the most.
Redish has played nearly 20 minutes a game over the last eight games and is similar to DFS in his 24 appearances this season. However, Redish is not the offensive or 3-point threat that Finney-Smith is. The Lakers are minus 1.5 points when Redish is on the floor and -0.9 when he is off the floor, which is fourth worst on the team.
What About Max Christie?
While Knecht is a close second, Christie is the next obvious choice to see a decrease in minutes. He is known for his defense, so he should be able to remain in the rotation and perhaps the starting lineup, at least for the time being. But he certainly won’t see 29 minutes a game like he has over the last eight games.
Christie has played well during this eight-game stretch. He has increased his production to 11.1 points a game, shooting 46.4% from the field and 1.8 threes while shooting 45.2%.
“For me right now, all I want to do is try to continue to replicate as many of these past (few) games as best as I possibly can, Christie when talking to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “I know that the starting job can be revoked at any point. So I had to and have to continue to stay locked in on the fact that it’s not guaranteed. I’ve been playing well as a starter. We’ve been winning games. It’s cool. But I have to continue to stack these games and try to do my best to continue to make an impact on the game.”
Christie has scored in double figures in four of these past eight contests. While Christie has taken the opposing player’s top perimeter offensive player, he won’t be required to play as often with DFS on the roster. Also, he doesn’t do much of the little things, like rebounding or can create offense.
Lakers Projected Rotation
James, Davis, and Reaves are surefire starters, but that is not news. However, Redick may have to decide between Christie, Finney-Smith, and Hachimura for the final two spots. At least Redick has a little time, as the Lakers don’t play again until tomorrow night against Cleveland.
As stated above, Christie has been playing well lately, and Hachimura has been one of the team’s most consistent performers. Also, the Lakers have been better with Hachimura on the court and worse when he is off. Perhaps what Redick told Buha when deciding who to start after demoting Russell is a clue to who will start versus the Cavaliers.
“Ideally, we want to have that fifth guy be a complementary piece to the other four guys. And that complementary piece most likely looks like a point-of-attack defender. A guy that doesn’t need the ball in his hands. He’s gonna play hard, he’s gonna pick up full court. Could shoot 3s.”
Los Angeles is 15-11 in games where Hachimura has been on the floor at the opening tip and 7-2 when Christie has. The Lakers have won six of the eight contests when Hachimura and Christie both started.
Hachimura and Christie each have experience coming off the bench. Unlike Hachimura, Christie’s skillset doesn’t equate to coming off the bench. He is not a shooter or offensive creator like Hachimura. Plus, Hachimura has been able to consistently produce in either role over his career, while Christie hasn’t.
Finney-Smith Isn’t Guaranteed To Start
While it has been assumed that DFS will start immediately, that may not be the case. Finney-Smith has been a full-time starter since 2019-20.
“Early indications are that the lineup has yet to be decided,” Buha added in a separate story yesterday. “Regardless, it’s a good problem for the Lakers to have. The most logical option is probably moving Hachimura to the bench and inserting Finney-Smith as the third frontcourt starter, giving the Lakers two 3-and-D wings — Finney-Smith and Christie — around Anthony Davis, James and Reaves. That also staggers James and Hachimura, who is more of a power forward than a small forward positionally and can take on some of the bench scoring the Lakers are losing from Russell’s departure.”
Regardless of how Redick deploys his first unit, Hachimura, James, Davis, Reaves, and DFS will be part of his closing unit. Vincent, the Lakers’ lone true point guard, seems to be guaranteed to remain in the rotation. Jaxson Hayes should also be part of Redick’s second until Jarred Vanderbilt or Christian Wood becomes fully healthy.
That would make seven or eight guys in Redick’s rotation. Vanderbilt and Wood could also be part of the rotation when they return, though my guess is that Vanderbilt is the more likely choice.
If Christie doesn’t start, he should play regularly, though not every game. However, Redick may have to decide, based on matchups and gut feeling, whether to give minutes or increase the number of minutes between Christie, Vincent, and Milton.
Starting Lineup Update:
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported less than an hour ago (3:34 p.m. ET) that Redick expects DFS and Milton to be available against the Cavs. But he will keep Christie and Hachimura in the starting lineup for now.
“JJ Redick says the hope for the Lakers is to have Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in the lineup Tuesday vs. CLE. Redick says he will keep the same starting lineup, however.”
Lakers Injuries and Possible Further Moves
Los Angeles is still dealing with several injuries.
Vincent strained his oblique on Saturday, which is considered day-to-day. He only played seven minutes against the Kings.
James (illness) is also considered day-to-day after sitting out Saturday.
It is also possible that Jalen Hood Schifino (hamstring) will return tomorrow. However, it was previously reported Vanderbilt and Wood have a better chance of returning after the New Year rather than before.
With the flexibility that the DFS and Milton trade created—the Lakers are now $3.5 million under the second apron and saved $15 million in total in tax payments—Buha said the Lakers could make other deals.
As for what’s next, the Lakers will continue to scour the trade market ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline for potential upgrades, according to team and league sources. But the plan, for now, is to see how Finney-Smith looks with the group, get their injured frontcourt players back (Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood) and continue to assess the roster as the deadline approaches. In addition to the first-round picks (2029, 2030, 2031) they have three pick swaps (2026, 2028 and 2030) and two second-round picks to trade.
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