Lakers Rumors: Three lineup changes that need to happen in second half of the season
By Keith Rivas
Give Josh Hart more playing time over KCP
I’ve had enough of the KCP hype; you can take that to the bank. Despite averaging around 14 points and six boards per game, there’s no point in keeping a guy like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope around if the plan is to not even re-sign him in the off-season.
Instead, Los Angeles should go with the younger star in Josh Hart for the second half of the season to what he’s all about in order to make the most informed decision over the summer. Think about it for a second — sure Caldwell-Pope has more experience, but who’s to say that Hart can’t have a surprise impact on the team if paired with Ball the same what that Kyle Kuzma has found his way into the spotlight?
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There’s not enough yet to believe that Hart is the long-term answer at shooting guard for the Lakers, but trading D’Angelo Russell this past summer left them without the opportunity to try that kind of experiment next to Lonzo Ball, and it’s put them in this position now where they have to figure something out.
Hart’s only started eight games, but has played in 38.
If he can see the floor more, I have plenty of confidence that he will settle into a groove and find his place with this young team.
What this move would also do for the Lakers is it would signify that they really aren’t afraid to trust their young core, their process, or their overall draft decisions. The bottom line really being this — if they didn’t think Josh Hart could do them any good with a team led by Lonzo Ball, then what were they thinking?
Not making a move here does nothing but commit to mediocrity and potentially sets themselves up for a bad deal with KCP if he forces their hand in the summer. Given the precedent of the horribly expensive Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov signings from the previous front office, you’d hope Magic Johnson and company don’t repeat that same mistake.