Lakers' Fourth-Quarter Issues Are Bigger Concern Than Who's Starting

LOS ANGELES — The 2-5 Lakers are not off to a great start through the early weeks of the 2018-19 NBA season. On Monday night, they lost their second straight game, a 124-120 setback to the Timberwolves in Minnesota.

The concern since the offseason has been that the Lakers have a flawed roster. And in live action, that has been validated. They have no backup center, questionable outside shooting, poor three-point defense, untimely turnovers, etc.

But the Lakers also have a lot of talent, a superstar in LeBron James and time to sort out their rotation—maybe not a lot of time in the competitive Western Conference, but time nonetheless. Suspensions to Brandon Ingram (four games) and Rajon Rondo (three) didn't help matters.

Coach Luke Walton hasn't had much of an opportunity to find combinations that work. While countless tweets have run the gamut on who he should be starting, the greater issue is finding a closing lineup.

The Rondo and Ingram suspensions, after they tussled with the Houston Rockets on Oct. 20, pushed Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma into the starting group. Kuzma saw an immediate uptick in efficiency, jumping from 35.7 percent shooting as a sub to 48.9 percent over five games as a starter.

But beyond the practical logic favoring Kuzma, starting is a status symbol in the NBA. It holds far more value than it should.

With Ingram's debt to the league paid, he was clear to reporters before Monday's game that he would be returning to the starting lineup.

Kuzma gave a similar message to The Athletic's Bill Oram, saying, "Of course; everybody wants to be a starter, and I feel like I'm a starter in this league."

Ultimately, it's Walton's responsibility to find combinations that make the Lakers competitive for 48 minutes, not the first five minutes of each game. While the season's sample size is small, the Lakers aren't killing it early. Per NBA.com, in the first quarter of the Lakers' five losses, the team has an offensive rating of 108.5 points per possession and a 122.3 defensive rating. The net of minus-13.8 has put the squad in an early hole.

But the Lakers have overcome those lulls to be in every game thus far. Certainly, the suspensions threw whatever rotations Walton had in mind out of whack, but where he and the Lakers are struggling most in losses is in fourth quarters (minus-16.9 net rating).

Does that mean the Lakers' version of their Death Lineup with James, Ball, Ingram, Kuzma and Josh Hart has been a disaster?

Actually, no; that group hasn't played a single minute together yet in any fourth quarter. Ingram wasn't available for four games and was in foul trouble in Minnesota. Ball seemed to play in a stupor Monday, so Walton went with Rondo late.

If there's a theme to the fourth-quarter issue, it's uncertainty. Walton has played 42 different lineups in 84 fourth-quarter minutes through seven games. He's searching for the right combinations, and a few games of roster stability might help.

The Lakers' most common fourth-quarter lineup is James with Lance Stephenson, Ball, Kuzma and Hart. That group has not fared well, with a minus-22.5 net rating in 16 minutes across three games. That's the only combination that has played more than six minutes together in the final period.

The Lakers aren't even losing games in the final minutes. The real concern has been the lineups starting the final periods. In defeats, the team has a dismal net rating of minus-26.4 through the first seven minutes, while the closing groups have worked to stanch the bleeding, with a plus-21.4 over the final five.

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Instead of clamoring to be in the starting five in the first quarter, maybe the players should fight to be on the floor at the beginning of the fourth. A little more time together might make a huge difference, but in the interim, the team is giving up too many open looks, drives to the basket and key rebounds when stops are imperative.

Everyone on the team needs to improve. Both James and Rondo have made key turnovers or questionable decisions that led to defeat. Ball needs to play with the heightened intensity he brought to the second half against the Nuggets if he wants to be in the game over Rondo when it's decided. Ingram needs to stay out of foul trouble.

More than anything, the Lakers need time on the court together to build a rapport. That's a challenge when playing against teams like the Spurs, the Rockets and even the struggling Timberwolves.

Walton will eventually find a steadier rotation. The Lakers may have depth, but Walton hasn't found the right combination at the beginning of fourth quarters. While he might stick with the current group of starters at tip-off, it's the finishers that matter.

The Lakers are 12th in the West with 75 games to play. They have time to figure it out, but too many losses in October and November could turn into a big problem in April.

Email Eric Pincus at [e-mail] and follow him on Twitter, @EricPincus.