Can the Lakers Bench Mob Make a Comeback This Season?
Does anyone remember when the Los Angeles Lakers had one of the best benches in the NBA last season?
If you blinked, you may have missed it—injuries soon descended like a swarm of remorseless locusts, leaving barely enough bodies to constitute a minimum lineup by NBA standards.
But before all that, the roster was flush and the second unit was cranking out points. The Lakers had the league's highest scoring bench for the first several weeks of the regular season, typically fueled by volume-scorer Nick “Swaggy P” Young, along with Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry and Jordan Hill.
In fact, on opening night, the bench scored 76 points in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ancient history, you say? What makes anyone think it can happen again?
Although the 2014-15 regular season is still several weeks away, hints of a starting lineup are beginning to emerge, pointing in turn to potential bench players. Per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
"Scott will spend training camp figuring out his starting lineup, which he says will currently feature Nash, Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill. He is leaning toward starting Wesley Johnson at small forward because of his defensive potential and relying on Nick Young’s prolific scoring off the bench.
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As one of last season’s few bright spots, Young is back this season with a new contract and highly motivated to do what he does—namely put up numbers. In an interview with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, new Lakers coach Byron Scott credited “Swaggy P’s” effort on both ends of the floor and indicated that he loves him in a bench role:
"I liked how he played and how he was giving full effort on the defensive end, and I really love his energy. He cared about winning. He changed his whole persona, what people thought of him. I’d never seen him play defense before. I also saw him being unselfish at times where he made passes. I do love Swaggy coming off the bench.
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Trudell pressed the point, asking, “And you’ll likely use him as the sixth man?’
Scott responded affirmatively, “Probably. He will play together with Kobe as well, but I do love his energy and firepower being able to score the ball off the bench.”
One player does not a bench make, however. Who else could be counted on to make an effort this season?
Xavier Henry for one—a young, athletic swingman who averaged a career-high 10 points per game last season for the Lakers before being injured. A former No. 12 draft pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2010, Henry plays an aggressive game on both ends of the floor.
Despite Scott’s mention of Nash in a possible starting role, the 40-year-old guard’s chronic injuries could preclude it. Regardless, simple laws of elimination state that some combination of Nash, Jeremy Lin and rookie Jordan Clarkson will be spelling relief off the bench.
Lin will be seeking to establish a consistent role after his brief moment of Linsanity with the New York Knicks and two uneven seasons with the Houston Rockets. As for Clarkson, the second-round draft pick has exceptional combo guard size at 6’5”, as well as blow-by speed and great handles. During summer league play in Las Vegas, Clarkson showed the ability to score at will.
If Carlos Boozer starts at the power forward position, as he has for the majority of his career, the second unit would include a dose of bull-in-a-china-shop energy via Julius Randle’s penchant for low-post scoring and rebounding. The Lakers’ No. 7 draft pick is a bright star of the future but could create some memorable moments off the bench during his rookie campaign.
Hill was one of the Lakers’ strongest bench performers last season with his aggressive bursts of energy—altering on the defensive end, scoring off put-backs and dunks. He’ll likely be starting this season, leaving back-up big men from last season like Sacre—a blue-collar utility worker—and Ryan Kelly, a stretch 4.
But it’s Ed Davis who could see a majority of bench minutes at the center position. New to the team this season, Davis is young, athletic and a willing rim-protector. His defensive mindset and strong fundamentals could serve as the perfect ballast for a second unit that is loaded with scorers.
Training camp is still weeks away, and with a 13-man roster, there is still room for one or two additional players. Scott will be acclimating his squad to new offensive and defensive principles, as well as getting a better idea of substitution patterns.
But does anyone really think that a secondary unit of Young, Henry, Randle, Davis and some combination of Nash/Lin/Clarkson would not be able to create havoc?
All eyes will be on Kobe Bryant as the legendary superstar makes his long-awaited return from serious back-to-back injuries. But laying in the weeds will be the Lakers bench mob—also looking for a comeback this season.
The end result may surprise a few people.
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