3 Lakers JJ Redick Needs to Stop Playing Immediately

2. Christian Koloko

It is hard to blame Redick for playing Christian Koloko. The frontcourt rotation is ravaged by injuries as Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood are unavailable. This leaves Koloko as the only semi-viable option as Anthony Davis' backup.

In all fairness to Koloko, the young center performed decently in his limited minutes. He isn't the most talented offensive player and has limitations on both ends of the floor. But he plays hard and provides some size, length, and defensive chops.

At the same time, it's obvious that the Lakers need to try something different. The Lakers are a poor shooting team, and it has gotten worse with LeBron James' shooting slump. There is simply not enough spacing on this team to justify playing a non-shooting center who also doesn't make enough of an impact defensively.

The Lakers need to consider playing small when Anthony Davis is on the bench. That would allow them to play a five-out system and try to outscore opponents. For this to work, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura have to defend bigger players. That is not ideal and it will take a toll on LeBron's body but it may be the only way for the Lakers to have a chance of competing until Rob Pelinka acquires more and better frontcourt players.