LOS ANGELES — Wednesday’s loss to San Antonio had all the ingredients the Lakers cook with in defeat. They defended poorly from deep, allowing the Spurs to shoot 45% from 3-point range and they had a rough end to the first quarter and bad starts to the second and third periods.
Another aspect that’s been a problem for the Lakers this season, which reared its ugly head in this contest, was the team’s lack of bench production. The Spurs outscored the Lakers 48-31 in that category and most of LA’s scoring
came from Marcus Smart, who ended with 26 points.
Outside of Smart, it was an abysmal offensive display from the bench. Jaxson Hayes and Dalton Knecht were the only other bench players besides Smart to put the ball in the hoop and Knecht’s field goal came in garbage time.
This game wasn’t an anomaly either. The Lakers are dead last in bench scoring, averaging 24.2 points per game.
One reason this problem hasn’t resulted in more defeats is that the Lakers are top-heavy. Their backcourt duo is the best scoring combo in the NBA with Luka Dončić averaging 35 points per game and Austin Reaves averaging a career-high 28.4 points per night.
However, in games where that production dips even a bit, as it did against the Spurs, it’s a struggle for the Lakers to make up those points.
While there have been one-off moments like Jake LaRavia scoring 27 points in a win over the Wolves, the player on the Lakers who you can consistently trust to score off the bench has yet to reveal themselves.
After the loss head coach JJ Redick spoke about the Spurs focusing on taking away everyone else besides his stars.
“It was similar in that way to like the Phoenix game where they were playing in a deeper drop and sort of forcing Luka, AR to shoot those non-rim paint twos,” Redick said. “Not put two on the ball and not having to rely on the low man, because they’ve got Luke Kornet and Mark Williams.”
When teams bet on the Lakers reserves to beat them, LA’s bench has to make them pay. Unfortunately, the Lakers don’t appear to have the players capable of doing so.
Gabe Vincent can’t just have 14 minutes of cardio where he’s only attempting one shot. LaRavia has to remain aggressive offensively as well as he also finished with one shot. Both players, though, have proven to be, at best, inconsistent this season.
If things don’t improve as the trade deadline nears, perhaps a trade will be necessary to shake up the roster and bring an offensive injection. For now, the hope is that the growth and production needed will come from within.
“It’s tough out there,” Smart said. “We got a lot of great guys that can score the ball and make plays. So I guess for us as the bench guys, we just got to find our way within those parameters that we have, and try to find, those shots. It’s tough, but we got to find a way.”
Another solution for the Lakers is sending Rui Hachimura to the bench. He’s a proven scorer during his time in LA, but his offense can be a surplus at times in the starting lineup.
However, every action has a reaction.
Moving Hachimura to the bench means promoting a reserve player. Sure, Smart looked great on Wednesday, but for starters — no pun intended — availability has been an issue for the veteran who just missed the previous six games with a back issue.
These are the puzzles Redick has to put together as best he can with the pieces available.
Even if the solution isn’t clear, though, the problem is and it’s one the Lakers must address.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
